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Nationals at Astros, 3-6-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion It didn’t take long after the Astros acquired Mike Burrows to figure out that a sinker was likely to become a key part of his pitch arsenal. Heck, even the Pirates and Burrows recognized that…

Nationals at #Astros, 3-6-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion

Mike Burrows, Pitch Usage Change between 2026 Spring Training and 2025 Regular Season

Insert your typical sample size warning about Spring Training here, but it isn't a surprise that the Astros have emphasized Mike Burrows' sinker in lieu of his 4-seam.

Jeremy Peña Fractures Finger, Will Be Reevaluated In Two Weeks As you can likely surmise from the title of this post, we got an update about the status of Jeremy Peña, who left Wednesday’s WBC exhibition game after three innings between the Tigers and Te…

#Astros Jeremy Peña Fractures Finger, Will Be Reevaluated In Two Weeks

Jeremy Pena Injured in WBC Exhibition, But Let’s Not Point The Finger (Because It Would Hurt) In an exhibition match today between the Detroit Tigers and Team Dominican Republican, Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena was removed after three innings after fielding a hard ground ball. Per A…

ICYMI #Astros

Jeremy Pena Injured in WBC Exhibition, But Let's Not Point The Finger (Because It Would Hurt)

Astros at Marlins, 3-5-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion Following a game on Wednesday with hardly any regulars for the Astros, we’re going to see plenty today. Notice the lineup configuration from Joe Espada. While it will change when Jeremy Peña and Ca…

#Astros at Marlins, 3-5-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion

Astros at Orioles, 3-4-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion Welcome back to regular Spring Training action, this time with the Astros facing off against the Orioles. If you’re into prospect and/or unproven player watching, you’ll see plenty of that today, a…

#Astros at Orioles, 3-4-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion

Astros at Nationals, 2-21-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion It’s finally here! The first Astros game of 2026. It’s Spring Training, but “Play Ball!” will still be heard, and the air will be filled with the familiar sounds of bats cra…

Astros at Nationals, 2-21-26, 12:05 CT Spring Training Game Thread and Discussion

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Another new pitcher and trade acquisition Kai-Wei Teng now on the hill

And the Astros could’ve been higher on this list if certain seasons played out a bit differently.

-2003, missed the postseason by 1 game
-2008, Hurricane Ike
-2016, 7-17 April and 12-15 September sunk them
-2025, missed the postseason by 1 game

Trade Alert: Astros Reacquire Joey Loperfido From Blue Jays For Jesús Sánchez I spent the entire offseason wondering when, or even if, the Astros would trade Jesús Sánchez. A 71 wRC+ and numerous defensive gaffes during his time in Houston didn’t help his case, especia…

Trade Alert: #Astros Reacquire Joey Loperfido From Blue Jays For Jesús Sánchez

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Yeah, this feels increasingly like a precursor move. Joey’s fine as depth with multiple years of control, but I will be ticked if the big move is to acquire Joey Bart from Pittsburgh, lol.

So, I have to see first if any other trades happen.

But, at face value, Sánchez for Loperfido was about the money. I know he had a rough stretch last season, but I still kinda hoped Sánchez would’ve work out here.

The Launch Briefing: Some Spring Training Notes While games are still over a week away, Spring Training officially arrived on Wednesday. A long offseason is one step closer to being done. Not fully, as we still have over a month of camp before m…

The Launch Briefing: Some Spring Training Notes

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The Infield Logjam Continues In the span of one Monday morning, the Astros likely lost two potential suitors for the services of Isaac Paredes in the Pirates and the Red Sox, with Marcell Ozuna signing with the former and the …

The Infield Logjam Continues

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Here’s To You, Framber Valdez One of the most reliable starting pitchers in baseball this decade has a new home in Detroit. For three years, $115 million, Framber Valdez will now pitch for the Tigers and perhaps offer the best …

Here’s To You, Framber Valdez

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Good for Framber.

Let’s Talk About Kai-Wei Teng Remember my post from last week? About the Astros’ pitching staff, I stated, “There are seemingly more names than roles readily available, so you can see where adding another pitcher is…

Let’s Talk About Kai-Wei Teng

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The Launch Briefing – January 20, 2026 The 2026 Astros certainly won’t lack intrigue for a variety of reasons. For one, there is the uncertain long-term status of Joe Espada and Dana Brown, who are essentially “lame ducks&#8…

The Launch Briefing - January 20, 2026

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The Launch Briefing – January 19, 2026 So, the Astros undoubtedly need a new backup catcher now. For two years, $14 million, Victor Caratini’s new contract with the Twins represents a fairly minor raise compared to his previous tw…

The Launch Briefing - January 19, 2026

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Professional Sports Continue to Grow and Grow, While We Just Stay the Same The only "little guy" left is us, the fans. Baseball players and athletes are making more and more money, and it's because sports teams are making more and more money. But is the average fan making more and more money at that rate? No, we've just stayed the same. But we're giving more and more money.

Professional Sports Continue to Grow and Grow, While We Just Stay the Same

The only "little guy" left is us, the fans. Baseball players and athletes are making more and more money, and it's because sports teams are making more and more money. But is the average fan making more and more money at…

Can the Astros compete with the top teams in the American Leagues YouTube video by Locked On Astros

ICYMI, @astrosstats.bsky.social was on Locked On Astros yesterday with Eric Huysman, to discuss the Astros’ offseason, the pitching staff, Kyle Tucker’s market, the infield logjam, and The Launch Angle.

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The Launch Briefing – January 16, 2026 Well, the big news from yesterday was that Kyle Tucker got paid handsomely. I figured he would eventually, but I didn’t think it would be with the Dodgers on a shorter contract with that high…

The Launch Briefing – January 16, 2026

Rooting for Oz. He would be a tremendous hire for any team.

I think Bregman did just fine for himself in free agency last year and this year.

I’m quite curious to see how Tatsuya Imai’s adjusts to MLB hitters with his strike throwing. In any case, this is a trend I like to see, regardless of league.

Mike Burrows in 2025: 97th percentile in offspeed run value (+9).

Just tweak that four-seam fastball shape and location a bit…

All good points. Might’ve even been a combination of all those things, but the Rule 5 finally presented an opportunity that Dana felt ready about taking a chance on Muñoz.

It’s a small quibble on my end that likely means relatively nothing, but, still, I’m curious what the process here was.

Between my actual job and working on the new site, I’ve been kind of busy this week.

But here’s a thought I have had swirling in my head regarding Roddery Muñoz: Why did the Astros take him in the Rule 5 when he was available as a free agent earlier in the offseason?

So, time for an update!

Following the abrupt departure from TCB, a group of writers from the previous staff decided to start our own Astros-centric blog, called The Launch Angle (@launchanglehou.bsky.social).

Give the new site a follow and check out our introduction post below. Thanks!