In many ways, the Houston Astros' season was one of contradictions. The club wanted to compete, yet made moves that looked more toward the future than the present. They wanted to stay under the luxury tax, yet ended up surpassing it anyway. The Astros counted on midseason returns from previously injured players, just to watch those who weren't already on the shelf be decimated by yet another injury wave.
The primary mistake Houston made was trying to have their cake and eat it too. The gambit was to rebuild on the fly while still trying to compete.