The Houston Astros went into the offseason with a plan. With an aging and expensive roster, as well as a budget in mind, GM Dana Brown went to work reshaping a roster that had longed for an infusion of young talent, which it had largely been cut off from thanks to the penalties from the 2017 sign-stealing scandal. This wasn't a teardown, however, but rather a retooling effort that the club hoped would allow them to balance competing and building for the future at the same time.
The season's early going showed some growing pains, but the Astros would snap out of an early funk and then weather a prolific injury storm that saw them scrambling to make things work, all while holding onto first place in the AL West most of the way.