Is Houston poised to repeat as World Series Champions?
No division traded as big as the AL West, and the pick of the litter may have wound up in Houston. So can they become the first team in twenty years to repeat as champions?
As a Texas Rangers fan, writing this article gives me no pleasure. But at some point, you have to face facts and deal with the elephant in the room.
We have to talk about the Astros.
Specifically, we need to talk about just how good they are, and more to the point, how their trade moves have potentially set them up to become the first team in the last two decades to repeat as World Series Champions.
To be fair, it is two trade moves, and one in particular that have prompted this assesment. Picking up Kendall Graveman from the White Sox gave their rotation bite. Getting Justin Verlander back from the Mets gives that bite teeth.
But beyond the trades, the Astros have had some developments in recent weeks that indicate that they are a team, perhaps uniquely in the AL West, and even in all of baseball, that is not feeling the strain of the long, hot summer. Rather, the Astros look like they are warming into it, improving day by day.
In the last two weeks they have gotten José Altuve and Yordan Álvarez back from the injured list. They picked up a handful of promising prospects and a half dozen relief pitchers, including claiming Jake Cousins off waivers from the Brewers. While other teams are huffing and puffing, the Astros are just finding that second gear that they always seem to produce in the autumn.
The return of Verlander to the Astros sees their rotation become a fearsome force to be reckoned with. He will join Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, JP France, Cristian Javier, and Jose Urquidy. As if to post a statement of intent to the rest of the league, Valdez made Astros history on the very day that Verlander was signed as the first lefty to throw a complete game no-hitter in franchise history. The last no-no for Houston? Justin Verlander in 2019.
The moves made by Houston perfectly balanced those made by Texas, negating any potential gain that might be made by the team in Arlington. This has not gone unnoticed by the Rangers, with Texas GM Chrs Young acknowledging that the team to beat in the AL West is now Houston.
“Houston is the team to beat,” says Young. “They’re World Series champions and they’ve played great baseball. Los Angeles has been a very solid team and weathered the storm while Mike Trout has been out. And Seattle was a playoff team last year. I don’t count them out by any means.”
The Mariners are 5.5 games behind, just ahead of the Angels at six games back, and both of those teams also bolstered their chances in the trade window, particularly Los Angeles.
Their series win over Cleveland sees Houston now just a half a game back from first in the AL West. A slump by Texas of late has coincided with a new breath of air in Houston and the gates are well and truly open in this race.
Hold on to your hats, folks, the AL West is going to be a wild ride.