Red Sox Rival #5: Houston Astros
One thing that should encourage Red Sox fans is that the only team better than them in the American League last year has gotten worse this offseason. The Astros began the offseason by subtracting reliever Kendall Graveman and starter Zack Greinke from the roster. These departures may seem minor, but each has played critical roles in the team’s World Series runs.
Then there was the loss of free-agent superstar Carlos Correa. Correa had had an up-and-down career with the Astros that was riddled with injuries, but he showed flashes of true brilliance in his seven years with Houston.
This past season was one of his best, as he posted a 131 OPS+ and won the Platinum Glove. This is a critical loss for the Astros, one that leaves a massive hole in both the field and the lineup and thrusts unproven youngster Jeremy Pena into the shortstop position.
There are some positives for the Astros in 2022. Justin Verlander, who missed essentially all of the last two years with Tommy John surgery, has already made his spring training debut and looked sharp.
The young starting pitchers will have another season under their belt, and Alex Bregman will be back after an injury-plagued 2021 season. Still, it’s impossible to say that the Astros have improved this winter, and that should be music to Red Sox fans’ ears.