Many, many decisions await the Houston Astros this offseason. The club is going to need to decide whether they truly believe they can return to contention in 2026, or if the window has shut, requiring a pivot towards more future-oriented plans.
What is for sure is that their 2025 trade deadline misfire will give them little room to work with this offseason. Despite their best efforts to stay under the 2025 luxury tax line of $241 million, those deadline deals pushed Houston just over the tax line with a final payroll of $245,429,602. As per the CBA, the luxury tax threshold for 2026 is not much higher at $244 million.