I never thought after the Astros won the World Series in 2017 that their World Series window would still be open as late as 2022. Especially since they have indeed lost two of the four main cogs in that machine, George Springer and Carlos Correa. Other key players from that team, and the team in general, have aged considerably past their supposed “prime.”
And yet despite a weak farm system, the Sporting News has the Astros projected to win the AL West, win the second-most games of any AL team and get a first-round bye in the playoffs.