The battered and bruised Houston Astros are now on the outside of the playoff picture looking in with just four games left to play in the 2025 season. Sitting a game behind the free-falling Detroit Tigers for the final American League Wild Card spot is a stunning development for a club whose stranglehold on first place in the AL West extended for 118 days and came to an end just a week ago on September 18.
There are many reasons for the Astros' collapse, but they can all be tied back to one key element: the failure of their offseason gambit.