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Nationals Discussing Trades Involving CJ Abrams, Jacob Young

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TODAY: In a radio interview on 106.7 The Fan (hat tip to Talk Nats), Toboni pushed back on the idea that the Nationals are trying to move Abrams.  “I will give you the cliche response that probably every GM in every sport gives — we’d be dumb not to listen, right?” Toboni said.  “It’s not like we are calling other teams and looking to trade CJ….While we’ll always listen, we’re going to take it day-by-day.  And see what comes our way.  If there’s something that makes sense, we’ll talk about it.  But it hasn’t even come close at this point in time.”

JANUARY 22: Paul Toboni made the most significant move of his first offseason running baseball operations for the Nationals. The Nats shipped MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers for a five-prospect package headlined by last year’s 12th overall pick Gavin Fien. Washington also swapped high-upside reliever Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners for rookie catcher Harry Ford early in the offseason.

The team remains amidst a rebuild, as Toboni acknowledged without using that specific term. “I think we’ve got to be honest with ourselves,” he told reporters after the Gore deal (link via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). “The truth is – and I don’t think this is a mystery to the fanbase, the media or anyone – we lost 96 games last year. To turn it around in one year and make the playoffs … not to say it can’t be done, but it’s a challenge. What we want to do is make sure we build this really strong foundation, so when we do start to push chips in, we can win for an extended period of time.”

That naturally leads to speculation about their other veteran players. Shortstop CJ Abrams has come up in rumors throughout the offseason. Spencer Nusbaum, Andrew Golden and Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post write that the Nationals have shopped Abrams and center fielder Jacob Young over the winter.

In Abrams’ case, that could simply be a matter of semantics. It’s no secret the Nationals have heard teams out on the talented infielder, who has reportedly gotten interest from the Royals (surely among various other clubs). Whether they’re initiating the calls or simply seriously considering interest isn’t a major distinction. The asking price remains high, as The Washington Post report indicates the Nats may need a stronger return to move Abrams than the one they received for Gore.

That’s motivated largely by the club control window. Gore was down to two seasons of arbitration eligibility; Abrams is three years away from free agency. The infielder is also marginally cheaper, as he’s signed for $4.2MM compared to Gore’s $5.6MM salary. The extra control year is the bigger factor, as the Nationals presumably expect to contend by 2028 even if they’re not trying to compete this year.

[Related: The Best Fits For A CJ Abrams Trade]

In each of the past two seasons, Abrams has been an excellent hitter through the All-Star Break before tailing off in the second half. He has been a little better than average overall, hitting .252/.315/.433 in more than 1200 plate appearances over the past two years. Abrams has 39 homers and 62 stolen bases with slightly lower than average strikeout and walk marks in that time. He’s an above-average regular who has an All-Star level ceiling that he has yet to consistently reach.

Abrams gives back some of the value with the glove. He’s one of the weaker shortstops in MLB and trails only Elly De La Cruz with 39 errors over the past two seasons. They’ve mostly been of the throwing variety, yet Statcast hasn’t looked favorably upon his range either. Abrams would project better at second base or potentially in center field. He has been a full-time shortstop on a Washington team that has probably had the worst all-around infield defense in the majors.

Despite the drawbacks, Abrams should have substantial appeal on the trade market. He’s a 25-year-old plus athlete who fits somewhere in the middle of the diamond. He’s a former sixth overall pick and top prospect who has stretches where he’s an excellent table-setter in one of the top two lineup spots. The Nats should demand a haul to part with him when he’s controllable for three seasons. In addition to Kansas City, teams like the Giants, Red Sox, Mariners and Padres (the club that drafted him and dealt him to Washington in the Juan Soto deal) are speculative fits. Those teams could all upgrade at second base, and many of them have been involved on another lefty-hitting trade chip, Brendan Donovan.

Young hasn’t gotten much attention as a trade candidate this winter. He’s overshadowed by bigger names like Gore and Abrams and certainly wouldn’t command as big a return. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the Nationals have gotten interest from teams looking to improve in center field. Those clubs would be on Young for his years of affordable control and elite glove.

The 26-year-old is still in his pre-arbitration seasons and at least four years from free agency. He stole 33 bases and probably should have won a Gold Glove in 2024, as he led MLB outfielders with 20 Outs Above Average that season. Defensive Runs Saved wasn’t quite so bullish but graded him 12 runs above par. Young posted similarly impressive defensive metrics last year, tallying +13 DRS and 14 OAA despite losing nearly 350 innings of playing time relative to the prior season. He missed a couple weeks between May and June after spraining the AC joint in his left shoulder when he ran into a wall at Camden Yards tracking a Ramón Laureano fly ball.

Excellent as Young is defensively, he’s not going to provide much at the plate. He’s coming off a .231/.296/.287 season and has a career .247/.310/.316 batting line in just over 1000 plate appearances. Young makes a lot of contact but puts most of it on the ground and has very little power. The right-handed hitter has been slightly better against southpaws over his career, but he’s a below-average offensive player against pitchers of either handedness.

There are some parallels between Young and top free agent center fielder Harrison Bader, but the latter is coming off a career year at the plate. Teams that don’t want to meet Bader’s asking price could view Young as a reasonable fallback. The center field market is almost always thin, both in free agency and trade. The Diamondbacks, Guardians, Royals, Phillies, Angels, Tigers, White Sox and Orioles are among the teams that could use a righty-hitting center fielder/fourth outfielder. Washington has no need to force a Young trade, but they could deal him and play Dylan Crews in center between a corner outfield tandem of James Wood and Daylen Lile.

Braves, Luke Williams Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves reunited with utility player Luke Williams on a minor league contract, according to the MiLB.com transaction log. He had elected minor league free agency upon being outrighted off Atlanta’s roster at the end of the season.

Williams is back for what’d be his third full season with the organization. The Braves claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers halfway through the 2023 season. They shuttled him on and off the MLB roster over the next couple years. He has generally been the last man off the bench, working as a multi-positional substitute and their usual position player pitcher in mop-up spots.

A former third-round pick of the Phillies, Williams has played parts of five seasons in the majors. He got into 39 contests last year but was only penciled into the starting lineup four times. He batted .129 with a couple doubles in 31 at-bats. The righty-hitting Williams is now a .212/.270/.280 hitter over 349 MLB plate appearances. He owns a .255/.334/.400 slash over five years in Triple-A.

The Braves clearly appreciate Williams’ willingness to play any role off the bench. They signed Jorge Mateo to a $1MM deal to work as a backup infielder behind Mauricio Dubón while Ha-Seong Kim is on the injured list. Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin will split the catching duties. Fifth outfielder Eli White is out of options. If the Braves don’t want to expose him to waivers, they’d have one bench spot available. Nacho Alvarez Jr. has the inside track as the only other backup position player on the 40-man roster.

Athletics, Chad Wallach Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Athletics are in agreement with veteran catcher Chad Wallach on a minor league contract, according to the MiLB.com transaction log. He’ll presumably get a non-roster invite to Spring Training and open the season at Triple-A Las Vegas.

Wallach, 34, has spent most of the past four years in the Angels’ organization. He has been the third or fourth catcher on the depth chart. The Halos called him up last September while they were navigating injuries to Travis d’Arnaud and Logan O’Hoppe. Wallach played in one game and caught two innings in a loss in Seattle. The Angels outrighted him off the roster when O’Hoppe returned.

That is Wallach’s only MLB experience since 2023. He has played in parts of eight big league seasons but only garnered semi-regular playing time three years back, when he got into 65 games and tallied 172 plate appearances for the Angels. He’s a .198/.263/.328 hitter in 443 trips to the dish. Wallach is coming off a .248/.319/.430 showing in Triple-A last year, splitting that time between the Halos and Rangers systems.

Shea Langeliers will play the majority of games behind the dish as long as he’s healthy. Austin Wynns will back him up. They’re the only two catchers on the 40-man roster. Wallach is their most experienced non-roster option, joining Brian Serven and Bryan Lavastida as organizational depth players who have MLB experience.

Nationals Rebuffed Interest From Giants In CJ Abrams

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The Giants made an unsuccessful push to acquire CJ Abrams from the Nationals, reports Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. It’s not clear precisely what package San Francisco would have put together, though Baggarly adds that they were open to building the deal around top shortstop prospect Josuar Gonzalez.

Washington traded MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers for a five-player package led by last year’s first-rounder Gavin Fien. The Washington Post reported they’ve been shopping Abrams as well, albeit with potentially a loftier ask than they had on Gore. Abrams is under arbitration control for three seasons compared to Gore’s two.

In each of the past two seasons, Abrams has been an excellent hitter through the All-Star Break before tailing off in the second half. He has been a little better than average overall, hitting .252/.315/.433 in more than 1200 plate appearances over the past two years. Abrams has 39 homers and 62 stolen bases with slightly lower than average strikeout and walk marks in that time. He’s an above-average regular who has an All-Star level ceiling that he has yet to consistently reach.

Abrams gives back some of the value with the glove. He’s one of the weaker shortstops in MLB and trails only Elly De La Cruz with 39 errors over the past two seasons. They’ve mostly been of the throwing variety, yet Statcast hasn’t looked favorably upon his range either. Abrams would project better at second base or potentially in center field. He has been a full-time shortstop on a Washington team that has probably had the worst all-around infield defense in the majors.

Despite the drawbacks, Abrams should have substantial appeal on the trade market. He’s a 25-year-old plus athlete who fits somewhere in the middle of the diamond. He’s a former sixth overall pick and top prospect who has stretches where he’s an excellent table-setter in one of the top two lineup spots. The Giants surely would have moved him to second rather than playing him at shortstop over Willy Adames.

Gonzalez respectively placed 30th and 44th on updated Top 100 prospect lists from Baseball America and MLB Pipeline this week. None of the players whom the Nationals acquired for Gore landed on either list. It seems fair to assume Washington’s evaluators rate Fien more highly than those outlets do. They probably would not have traded two years of Gore’s arbitration window if they didn’t feel they were getting a Top 100 caliber talent.

It’s also possible they’re simply not as high on Gonzalez as some others. It’s common for clubs to have differing opinions on prospects. That’s especially true for someone like Gonzalez, an 18-year-old whose professional experience consists of 52 games in the Dominican Summer League. Teams don’t have much of a statistical track record with which to work, so evaluations for players that far from MLB readiness are weighted very heavily towards their individual scouts.

In any case, Baggarly’s report certainly doesn’t push back against the idea that the Nationals could demand more for Abrams than they had for Gore. The report suggests that while the Giants aren’t interested in trading their top prospect, rookie first baseman Bryce Eldridge, they discussed most of their other high-end talents with Washington. Eldridge and Gonzalez are San Francisco’s only Top 100 prospects at MLB Pipeline. Baseball America had outfielder Bo Davidson and infielder Jhonny Level in the back quarter of their list. Baggarly’s piece has more specifics on the prospects who surfaced in conversations, and Giants fans are encouraged to give it a full read.

Abrams would have been the prize of a quiet San Francisco offseason to date. They opted for floor over ceiling with their rotation signings of Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser. They’ve done nothing to address a lackluster outfield (especially in right), nor have they come away with their desired upgrade over Casey Schmitt at second base. He’s a passable regular but fits better as a high-end utility infielder. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported last week that the Giants were looking for a significant second base move on the trade front.

San Francisco has been linked to Brendan Donovan and Nico Hoerner at various points throughout the offseason. Neither player has been traded. Donovan still seems likelier than not to move — certainly before the trade deadline if not by Opening Day — while the Cubs should be reluctant to deal Hoerner. Abrams is still available as well, although it’s not clear if those teams intend to reengage.

Twins Designate Pierson Ohl, Jhonny Pereda For Assignment

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The Twins designated right-hander Pierson Ohl and catcher Jhonny Pereda for assignment, according to a club announcement. Those are the corresponding 40-man roster moves for the additions of Victor Caratini and Taylor Rogers. Minnesota finalized the signing of both free agent pickups this evening.

With a new reliever and catcher coming aboard, the Twins drop a depth player from both positions. Ohl is a 26-year-old who debuted with 14 appearances last season. He turned in a 5.10 ERA across 30 innings. Ohl did a nice job getting hitters to chase pitches outside the strike zone but doesn’t have huge raw stuff. His fastball clocks in around 92 MPH, while he uses a changeup and cutter as his most frequent secondary offerings.

A 14th-round pick out of Grand Canyon University in 2021, Ohl has a strong minor league track record. He has a 3.61 ERA in nearly 400 innings below the big league level. Ohl worked mostly as a starter for his first few seasons but switched primarily to long relief work last year. He went 3-4 innings at a time and put up a 2.40 ERA with a 30.3% strikeout percentage against a sub-4% walk rate across 71 1/3 frames. He has all three minor league option years remaining. There’s a pretty good chance he’ll land elsewhere within the next week, and it’s not out of the question another team trades the Twins cash or a low-level minor leaguer to jump the waiver order.

Pereda, 29, is a journeyman depth catcher. He made 30 appearances and tallied 78 plate appearances between the A’s and Twins last year. He’d also gotten into 20 games as a rookie with the Marlins in 2024. The righty hitter carries a .241/.299/.296 line without a home run in 118 trips to the plate. Pereda has a robust .296/.392/.419 slash over five seasons in Triple-A.

Caratini’s signing dropped Pereda to fourth on the catching depth chart. Minnesota isn’t guaranteed to keep third catcher Alex Jackson, who is out of options and would need to get through waivers before they could send him to Triple-A St. Paul. If they succeed in getting Pereda through waivers, he’d stick in the organization and get a non-roster invite to Spring Training. If another team claims him, they’ll probably look to add someone with MLB experience on a minor league deal. Minnesota has five days to trade Ohl and Pereda or to begin the waiver process.

Red Sox Sign Tayron Guerrero To Minor League Deal

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The Red Sox announced the signing of reliever Tayron Guerrero to a minor league deal with an invite to MLB camp. Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects first reported the agreement earlier this month.

Guerrero returns to affiliated ball after spending the 2025 season in Japan. The hulking 6’8″ righty signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines last offseason. It was his second stint with the club, as Guerrero also pitched for the Marines back in 2022. His first stint went better than last year’s, as he allowed a 6.41 ERA over 19 2/3 NPB innings. He spent the majority of the season with their minor league affiliate as a result.

The 35-year-old Guerrero last pitched in the majors in 2019. He has 106 innings of MLB experience, turning in a 5.77 earned run average. Guerrero has allowed an even seven earned runs per nine over 117 career Triple-A frames. Various teams have been intrigued enough to continue giving him looks as a depth reliever on the strength of his velocity. Guerrero averages 99 MPH on his fastball but has never had great feel for command.

Boston will give the Colombian-born hurler a look in camp. He’s unlikely to win an Opening Day job but will have an opportunity to put himself on the radar for a midseason call if he impresses during exhibition play and with Triple-A Worcester.

Nationals Sign Bryce Montes de Oca, Tres Barrera To Minor League Deals

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The Nationals announced that they have signed right-hander Bryce Montes de Oca and catcher Tres Barrera to minor league deals. Both players also receive invites to big league camp in spring training. The righty is represented by Excel Sports Management and the backstop by ACES.

Montes de Oca, 30 in April, debuted with the Mets in 2022. He only made three appearances but the stuff was intriguing. He averaged 99.9 miles per hour with his sinker, 95.4 mph with his cutter and 86.8 mph with his slider. As is often the case with power pitchers, he could get guys out but also put them on first base. He tossed 51 1/3 minor league innings that year with 3.33 earned run average, 34.6% strikeout rate and 49.1% ground ball rate but a massive 16.5% walk rate.

Unfortunately, those three appearances still make up the entirety of his major league track record to this point, as he’s been on a brutal injury odyssey since then. In March of 2023, he underwent elbow surgery. Doctors were planning to simply remove bone chips but discovered during the surgery that the pitcher required Tommy John surgery. He stayed on the injured list through the 2023 season and was outrighted at the end of the campaign.

He got back on the mound in 2024, making some rehab appearances in June and July. But then he required yet another Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter. Mike Mayer of Metsmerized reported in February of 2025 that the surgery occurred late in 2024. Today, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post relays that the surgery took place in August of that year. Montes de Oca spent 2025 on the minor league injured list and became a free agent at season’s end.

The righty is clearly a big wild card. He had poor control even when he was healthy and has now essentially missed three whole seasons. But the stuff is tantalizing and the Nats are one of the clubs best positioned to take a flier on him. They are clearly in rebuilding mode, with five straight seasons of at least 91 losses. They just traded two years of MacKenzie Gore for five prospects, most of whom aren’t close to the majors. Trades of CJ Abrams and Jacob Young are reportedly possible as well, with those players having three and four years of remaining club control, respectively. In short, they don’t expect to be competitive soon.

Washington’s bullpen had a collective 5.59 ERA last year, the worst such mark in the majors. They further thinned out their relief corps by trading Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners last month. If Montes de Oca can stay healthy and pitch his way onto the roster, he has a full slate of options. Thanks to spending the 2023 season on the IL, he has one year and 33 days of service time, which still puts him years away from arbitration and even further from free agency.

Barrera, 31, played in 57 big league games from 2019 to 2023. Most of that came with the Nats though he also spent some time with the Cardinals. He has a career batting line of .228/.313/.310 but a decent defensive reputation.

The Nats acquired catching prospect Harry Ford in the aforementioned Ferrer trade. He is perhaps the catcher of the future, though the club also has Keibert Ruiz, Drew Millas and Mickey Gasper on the roster. Riley Adams was designated for assignment this week and would stick in the system as non-roster depth if he clears waivers. Even if Adams ends up with another club, the Nats will have some non-roster depth in the form of Barrera.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Mariners Acquire Cooper Criswell

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired right-hander Cooper Criswell from the Mets in exchange for cash considerations. He was designated for assignment this week when New York acquired Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Brewers. Left-hander Jhonathan Díaz has been designated for assignment by Seattle as a corresponding move for Criswell. Jorge Castillo of ESPN first reported that the Mariners would be acquiring Criswell. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported the cash going the other way.

Criswell, 29, has the reputation of a serviceable swingman or back-end starter. His most extensive big league look came in 2024 with the Red Sox. He tossed 99 1/3 innings for Boston that year over 18 starts and eight relief appearances, allowing 4.08 earned runs per nine. His 17.2% strikeout rate wasn’t especially high but he limited walks to a 7.2% pace and induced grounders on 50.3% of balls in play.

Despite that solid season, he got pushed down the depth chart in 2025. The Sox acquired Garrett Crochet, signed Walker Buehler and got Lucas Giolito back from his injury absence. Criswell only made seven big league appearances last year. He spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he tossed 65 2/3 innings with a 3.70 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 49.4% ground ball rate.

He exhausted his final option in 2025, pushing him to a fringe roster position. He and the Sox agreed to a deal in November, guaranteeing him $800K in 2026, even though he had not yet qualified for arbitration. That salary is only marginally above the $780K minimum in 2026.

The hope with a deal like that it would disincentivize other clubs from claiming him via waivers. It would also make Criswell less likely to elect free agency after clearing. He has a previous career outright and therefore has the right to reject further outright assignments in favor of the open market. But since he has less than five years of big league service time, he would have to walk away from the money in exercising that right.

That hasn’t gone as planned. The Sox designated Criswell for assignment in December but the Mets claimed him off waivers. As mentioned, the Mets bumped him off the roster this week. If they had any hope of passing him through waivers, the Mariners presumably called and told them it wouldn’t happen.

Seattle has a strong rotation but the depth isn’t amazing. The front five of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo is one of the best in the game. But beyond that group are guys like Logan Evans, Emerson Hancock and Blas Castano who haven’t yet proven themselves to be effective big leaguers. Switch-pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje is on the way but he has only seven Double-A starts under his belt and hasn’t reached Triple-A yet.

Criswell gives the M’s a useful guy to add to the mix, though the roster fit is a bit tight at the moment. As mentioned, the club already has five good starters. Criswell could be in the bullpen as a long reliever but the relief group is also crowded. The Mariners currently project for an eight-man bullpen consisting of Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash, Jose A. Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier, Carlos Vargas, Casey Legumina and Jackson Kowar. No one in that group can be optioned to the minors except for Brash or Ferrer and they’re too good to be sent down. Perhaps the M’s will try to pass Criswell, or someone else in that group, through waivers at some point for extra flexibility.

As for Díaz, the 29-year-old began today in the rotation depth group alongside Evans, Hancock and Castano but the Mariners evidently prefer Criswell to Díaz in that mix. Some websites list Díaz as still having a minor league option but he was optioned for extended stretches throughout the 2022, 2024 and 2025 seasons. Teams are sometimes granted a fourth option on a player but only if they don’t have five “full” professional seasons, where a “full” season is defined as 90 active days. Díaz first reached full season ball way back in 2017 and has been fairly active since then, so he shouldn’t qualify for a fourth option.

His major league track record is still fairly short. He has appeared in five big league seasons but with just 46 1/3 total innings pitched across those. He has a 4.66 ERA, 15.1% strikeout rate, 12.3% walk rate and 45.2% ground ball rate. He only made one big league appearance last year, spending the rest of the season on optional assignment with Triple-A Tacoma in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He gave that club 138 2/3 innings with a 4.15 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate, 4.1% walk rate and 46.9% ground ball rate.

The lefty will be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Mariners could field trade interest for as long as five days. He has a previous career outright and would therefore have the right to elect free agency if he were to clear waivers.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Rockies Sign Ryan Miller To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies have signed right-hander Ryan Miller to a minor league deal, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The righty will presumably receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Miller, 30 in March, has a limited major league track record. He tossed 13 innings for the Angels in 2024, allowing six earned runs via 13 hits and eight walks while striking out 11. He featured a two-pitch mix, throwing his sinker 42.5% of the time with an average velocity of 93.6 miles per hour. The slider was chucked in there 57.5% of the time with the average velo at 84.4 mph.

He was released at the end of the season and signed a minor league deal with the Tigers for 2025. He logged 50 innings over 37 Triple-A appearances with a 4.32 ERA. His 22% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 41.6% ground ball rate were all around par.

The Rockies always struggle to put together a competent pitching staff due to the challenges of pitching at Coors Field. 2025 was a particularly rough campaign, with the team posting a collective 5.99 ERA. The bullpen was better than the rotation but only marginally, with the relievers having a 5.18 ERA. Miller will try to pitch his way back to the big leagues. If he succeeds, he still has options and just 34 days of service time, so the Rockies could theoretically keep him around as a depth piece for the foreseeable future.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

The Astros Have Work To Do In The Outfield

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For much of the offseason, the focus surrounding the Astros was how they'd improve their rotation and general starting pitching depth. It was an understandable qualm. Framber Valdez became a free agent, and while he's still lingering on the market, a reunion with Houston never felt all that likely, given the contract he'll likely command and the team's aversion to long-term deals of that magnitude. Hayden Wesneski had Tommy John surgery late last May. Ronel Blanco followed a couple weeks later. Lefty Brandon Walter was an out-of-the-blue success story ... at least until he also underwent Tommy John surgery -- his in mid-September.

The 'Stros have done well to bolster the starting staff. Their surprise deal with NPB star Tatsuya Imai gives them a potential high-end arm to replace Valdez. A trade acquisition of Pittsburgh righty Mike Burrows plugged a young, controllable arm into the fourth spot on the staff. Cheap rolls of the dice on former top prospect Nate Pearson and former D-backs/Royals farmhand Ryan Weiss, who's coming back over after a terrific two years in the Korea Baseball Organization, added some depth.

A six-man group consisting of Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Imai, Burrows, Weiss and Lance McCullers Jr. could be solid -- particularly if McCullers can be even serviceable. Depth arms abound. Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France, AJ Blubaugh, Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander and Miguel Ullola are all on the 40-man roster and all have minor league options remaining. Twenty-three-year-old Ethan Pecko had a nice season between Double-A and Triple-A last season and could get a look in 2026.

There are still clearly some question marks, but the Astros added an intriguing young arm (Burrows), a high-upside international star (Imai) and an under-the-radar 29-year-old coming off a big KBO showing (Weiss). Things look much better than they did a few months back.

The same can't be said in the outfield. To this point in the offseason, the biggest move the Astros have made, outfield-wise, is non-tendering Chas McCormick. Unless the Astros plan to use Yordan Alvarez in left field on the regular -- which is very unlikely to be the case -- it's easy to argue that they don't have even one everyday outfielder who can be confidently projected as a league-average hitter.

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