The Golden Era is dead: Can the Astros reset the dynasty in 2026?
September 24, 2025
The Golden Era is dead: Can the Astros reset the dynasty in 2026?
46 comments
I don’t trust this medical staff. But if they can have a Good health year they have a shot. But I don’t think Yordan can stay healthy for 150 games
Sure. I don’t get why people are so pessimistic about the team when just a little bit better injury luck would have made this season look so much different.
There is reason to believe the team will remain contenders in the future.
Idk what yall are talking about the team was really solid until the whole team got injured. We have a lot to look forward to next year if we’re healthy
Gut the medical, strength, and conditioning teams
Send Snitker and Kawamura away
Trade Walker and move Paredes to 1B (also maybe trade Chas and Dubon)
Sign a good #2 starter (preferably Ranger Suarez) and a bullpen arm
We ride.
Rambling thoughts here- A first start would be to get healthy which brings back Paredese/Araghetti et al/Alvarez. This will actually create a crowded infield and a pitcher or two. wish we could unload Walker and put Paredes at first but not sure how we unload him with his contract versus performance but i would eat some cash to do so. They need to shore up a starting rotation with the assumption Framber is gone and Lance is a total bust. We may have some dollars with Abreu/Montero deals gone but may have to use that money for Pena which i think that we need to keep. Altuve is in decline but still has some gas in the tank so he is in the equation. Then there is the outfield. Will Cam Smith make progression in a second year? Jake at center and maybe a Cole/Alvarez tandem for left-not Altuve please. So to summarize-get better starting pitching at all costs. And then maybe a bat but please no more old, back of the baseball card players in all out decline that you think will magically find the fountain of youth here. No coaching/manager changes except for maybe the dude at third base that players seem to not respect his signals. Unfortunately Seattle has finally lapped you and time to start reloading
If they can stay off the IL, learn to run properly & not throw meatballs down the middle then intentionally HBP your own catcher…maybe.
Oh shut up with these post already. Half thr damn team was injured this year. Not team is going to make it to the playoffs 100% of the time. One average year isn’t going to define what this team has done over the past decade.
The Golden Era is dead? Possibly, all things come to an end eventually. This year we had a ton of players on the injury list and we’ve hit a late season slump. Can that kill playoff chances? Sure! Will that mean its unrecoverable, especially so next season? No.
This team does suck but also if we would’ve just won 2 out of 3 this past weekend then the narrative completely changes with the inside track to a bye and another possible ALCS appearance.
They’ll be back.
They just need to stay healthy, but they still have a good amount of talent to build upon
If they all get hurt in may next year, we should be ok. Also, maybe if Seattle doesn’t go on to win 14 out of 15 in a row things might be different.
We’re a 100 win team if we didn’t get fucked by injury. The doom and gloom is not warranted
Who knows what this team’s ceiling would have been if they were healthy. I still think they need to add a pitcher and another bat for next year along with a dose of good health. They could be in the playoffs next year without a doubt.
Jesus…we had a horrific year with injuries and a starting pitcher who used to be our ace imploding mentally…and this sort of post is the result?
The way I see it, even if we’d made the playoffs we don’t go far because all our injured guys don’t magically heal. This season, by all measures and reasonable expectations, should have been an utter disaster…and it wasn’t. You know what this season does for us going forward?
* We now KNOW we have a superior manager in Espada who had to sub in minor league prospects for established stars all over the roster and he still kept the show rolling. Just that alone was absolutely remarkable and should get him Manager of the Year.
* Those prospects now have big league experience and we know we can either rely on them going forward or we can use them as trade pieces given there’s no question they can handle the big leagues. Our GM should be giddy with the options he has now.
* We also now know that whatever we’re doing to condition and manage the physical health of our roster (and especially the pitchers) needs to be scrutinized and overhauled. Things like missing the Alvarez fracture is pretty much unforgivable at this level. The pitching staff was as fragile as I can ever remember a staff being…and I started watching baseball back when complete games were still a common thing.
So yeah, we don’t go to the playoffs to get immediately ejected. I’m not missing that. And yes, we don’t get our division pennant this year. Those things are bound to happen. But to call this the end of an era is Olympic level pearl-clutching.
This year may have been a disappointment but it should set the table nicely for us going forward.
We were so good for the first half of the season. I think we’ll be contenders next year, easily.
Golden Era dead? Time for the Platinum Era then!’
Seriously, we had the most injuries in the MLB….so, when that happens, you really can’t do much. we just got lucky that AAA players rotated in to keep us from tanking.
Peña is way too young to be getting injured so quickly, Astros need to get the playbook from other sports when it comes to recovery, Tommy John is one thing, but random bruising, spraining, twists…etc …. they have to emphasize more on recovery .
The team is great they have plenty of WS players.
Altuve and Yordan are locked until 2028, assuming they don’t have career ending injuries THAT will be the Last Dance of this legendary era. This year just beat us to hell with injuries…and yet we were in first place for most of the year. And I still have foolish hope that we can make the wild card (Detroit is flailing even harder than us) and get to the playoffs 9/10 of the last decade. Which considering where they started is an incredible feat on its own.
If we ditch framber we will be gucci
If the can stay healthy? My goodness. This is the same thing every fan base consoles themselves with every year. Every team faces injuries. It is not a valid excuse. The ball club needs to be constructed in a way that can absorb some of those injuries. Granted, this season for the Stros injury-wise was particularly tough, but we have seen to he realists. This was an incredible decade of excellence, and now the team needs to start to make moves to build back into that over the next handful of years instead of limping in to the wildcard round.
Dead? No. Victims of circumstance? Yes. Able to hold it together with band aids and bullets? Definitely. The Sugarland Astros kept us in this playoff race.
The golden era isn’t dead, it’s just on IR.
Espada is the reason for the inconsistencies. Need a new GM too.
If the Golden Era is dead maybe we can get the Space Age.
Always a superior name to the ‘Golden’ nonsense
I believe they got away from building from the farm upward. Since Crane fired Luhnow, they’ve been milking a few transient core players as much as they could.
I’d rather they take a step back, build from the farm, and recreate sustained success, instead of barely winning the AL West.
And I know people will hate me, but trade Yordan. He can’t stay healthy, and why have a guy made of glass that plays only a few weeks per season.
The peak of the season was sweeping the Dodgers. Since then they have gone 29-38. It’s almost like that was their World Series and then they just quit.
However, I think it’s still crazy to the think that if we win out then we only miss a 90 win season by 1 game.
IF the Golden Era is dead I’m fine with that. We all got to witness one of the greatest runs by a team in MLB history. I’m perfectly content just watching Altuve and Correa ride off into the sunset together the next 5 years. I do wanna see Altuve pass Manny Ramirez in postseason homers tho
The “golden era” has been dead for about 4 years now, according to reports.
Injuries have fucked this team for some years.
The Golden Era ended in 2023, but the window is still open. An entire off-season to heal up, Alimber and Ullola look poised to replace Framber, the Montero and Abreu contracts are finally off the books, and aside from Altuve and Walker, the roster is still relatively young.
I think it’s done. Altuve has lost some and the decision-making from the owner has been more miss than hit (Abreu, Walker).
We’re not dead, we’re resting.
If we don’t make it to the playoffs. We will be back next season
While I’m disappointed with the way the season is ending, I also understand that it’s a miracle that we’re even here due to all of our injuries and re-injuries. What a joke
Attendance is part of the grade. Need to solve these injury issues.
Couple of things:
Try to trade Sanchez. He’s way too streaky of a hitter for me.
Promote Blubagh to a starting role
I would also consider trading Brice Mathews for pitching, depending on how our injured starters come back next season. If all return to form, then i think we’re ok. However, this year proved you can never have enough pitching.
Other than that im hoping for a more injury free season next year and hoping our 2 rookies in Cam and Zach can make leaps.
Let me count the ways. Too many to list.
Send the medical team to Mars
u/chron Your writers really don’t know that we basically had AAA / AA on the field most of the year?
No. Next question.
I think the Era is still open until Pena leaves.
After that though it becomes altuve 3k hit watch.
Job1. Let Framber walk, in fact, drive him to the airport. Sign AT LEAST 3 starters to go with Hunter and Javier. DO NOT CONSIDER waiting for injured arms to come back. Let Lance go. Next up, rid the team of Christian Walker. I can’t stomach watching this guy bat for another season. Find a decent 1st baseman, get everyone healthy next year and they have a great lineup. Solidify the pitching staff and they will be back.
Lots of holes to fill next season especially if Framber leaves, but also a lot of money to address needs with.
Will be interesting to see what we do because we have a lot of different paths we could take, particularly with 1B, where to stick Altuve, and the OF.
Desperately need at minimum 2 SP who aren’t big injury risks and one big bat.
I am not a koolaid drinker and not one to call someone a doomer, but damn this Chron guy is a doomer.
I was hoping to read about moves they could make to improve in ‘26. This is just doomer clickbait.
With better health next year and so retooling, 2026 could be bright. I don’t think it is the end of an era. You still have Yordan. Correa has been very good. Peña has come into his own. I remember when they first brought up Tucker and he sucked. But then he got his feet under him and became a star. I could see Cam and/or Cole doing that. They need to get Framber off this team ASAP. Like don’t even make a qualifying offer. He is a head case cancer. Try and get one good SP to slot behind Hunter. There is hope for a reset in 2026.
Just the Chron publishing BS again.
Maybe this means tickets will be cheaper next season!
46 comments
I don’t trust this medical staff. But if they can have a Good health year they have a shot. But I don’t think Yordan can stay healthy for 150 games
Sure. I don’t get why people are so pessimistic about the team when just a little bit better injury luck would have made this season look so much different.
There is reason to believe the team will remain contenders in the future.
Idk what yall are talking about the team was really solid until the whole team got injured. We have a lot to look forward to next year if we’re healthy
Gut the medical, strength, and conditioning teams
Send Snitker and Kawamura away
Trade Walker and move Paredes to 1B (also maybe trade Chas and Dubon)
Sign a good #2 starter (preferably Ranger Suarez) and a bullpen arm
We ride.
Rambling thoughts here- A first start would be to get healthy which brings back Paredese/Araghetti et al/Alvarez. This will actually create a crowded infield and a pitcher or two. wish we could unload Walker and put Paredes at first but not sure how we unload him with his contract versus performance but i would eat some cash to do so. They need to shore up a starting rotation with the assumption Framber is gone and Lance is a total bust. We may have some dollars with Abreu/Montero deals gone but may have to use that money for Pena which i think that we need to keep. Altuve is in decline but still has some gas in the tank so he is in the equation. Then there is the outfield. Will Cam Smith make progression in a second year? Jake at center and maybe a Cole/Alvarez tandem for left-not Altuve please. So to summarize-get better starting pitching at all costs. And then maybe a bat but please no more old, back of the baseball card players in all out decline that you think will magically find the fountain of youth here. No coaching/manager changes except for maybe the dude at third base that players seem to not respect his signals. Unfortunately Seattle has finally lapped you and time to start reloading
If they can stay off the IL, learn to run properly & not throw meatballs down the middle then intentionally HBP your own catcher…maybe.
Oh shut up with these post already. Half thr damn team was injured this year. Not team is going to make it to the playoffs 100% of the time. One average year isn’t going to define what this team has done over the past decade.
The Golden Era is dead? Possibly, all things come to an end eventually. This year we had a ton of players on the injury list and we’ve hit a late season slump. Can that kill playoff chances? Sure! Will that mean its unrecoverable, especially so next season? No.
This team does suck but also if we would’ve just won 2 out of 3 this past weekend then the narrative completely changes with the inside track to a bye and another possible ALCS appearance.
They’ll be back.
They just need to stay healthy, but they still have a good amount of talent to build upon
If they all get hurt in may next year, we should be ok. Also, maybe if Seattle doesn’t go on to win 14 out of 15 in a row things might be different.
We’re a 100 win team if we didn’t get fucked by injury. The doom and gloom is not warranted
Who knows what this team’s ceiling would have been if they were healthy. I still think they need to add a pitcher and another bat for next year along with a dose of good health. They could be in the playoffs next year without a doubt.
Jesus…we had a horrific year with injuries and a starting pitcher who used to be our ace imploding mentally…and this sort of post is the result?
The way I see it, even if we’d made the playoffs we don’t go far because all our injured guys don’t magically heal. This season, by all measures and reasonable expectations, should have been an utter disaster…and it wasn’t. You know what this season does for us going forward?
* We now KNOW we have a superior manager in Espada who had to sub in minor league prospects for established stars all over the roster and he still kept the show rolling. Just that alone was absolutely remarkable and should get him Manager of the Year.
* Those prospects now have big league experience and we know we can either rely on them going forward or we can use them as trade pieces given there’s no question they can handle the big leagues. Our GM should be giddy with the options he has now.
* We also now know that whatever we’re doing to condition and manage the physical health of our roster (and especially the pitchers) needs to be scrutinized and overhauled. Things like missing the Alvarez fracture is pretty much unforgivable at this level. The pitching staff was as fragile as I can ever remember a staff being…and I started watching baseball back when complete games were still a common thing.
So yeah, we don’t go to the playoffs to get immediately ejected. I’m not missing that. And yes, we don’t get our division pennant this year. Those things are bound to happen. But to call this the end of an era is Olympic level pearl-clutching.
This year may have been a disappointment but it should set the table nicely for us going forward.
We were so good for the first half of the season. I think we’ll be contenders next year, easily.
Golden Era dead? Time for the Platinum Era then!’
Seriously, we had the most injuries in the MLB….so, when that happens, you really can’t do much. we just got lucky that AAA players rotated in to keep us from tanking.
Peña is way too young to be getting injured so quickly, Astros need to get the playbook from other sports when it comes to recovery, Tommy John is one thing, but random bruising, spraining, twists…etc …. they have to emphasize more on recovery .
The team is great they have plenty of WS players.
Altuve and Yordan are locked until 2028, assuming they don’t have career ending injuries THAT will be the Last Dance of this legendary era. This year just beat us to hell with injuries…and yet we were in first place for most of the year. And I still have foolish hope that we can make the wild card (Detroit is flailing even harder than us) and get to the playoffs 9/10 of the last decade. Which considering where they started is an incredible feat on its own.
If we ditch framber we will be gucci
If the can stay healthy? My goodness. This is the same thing every fan base consoles themselves with every year. Every team faces injuries. It is not a valid excuse. The ball club needs to be constructed in a way that can absorb some of those injuries. Granted, this season for the Stros injury-wise was particularly tough, but we have seen to he realists. This was an incredible decade of excellence, and now the team needs to start to make moves to build back into that over the next handful of years instead of limping in to the wildcard round.
Dead? No. Victims of circumstance? Yes. Able to hold it together with band aids and bullets? Definitely. The Sugarland Astros kept us in this playoff race.
The golden era isn’t dead, it’s just on IR.
Espada is the reason for the inconsistencies. Need a new GM too.
If the Golden Era is dead maybe we can get the Space Age.
Always a superior name to the ‘Golden’ nonsense
I believe they got away from building from the farm upward. Since Crane fired Luhnow, they’ve been milking a few transient core players as much as they could.
I’d rather they take a step back, build from the farm, and recreate sustained success, instead of barely winning the AL West.
And I know people will hate me, but trade Yordan. He can’t stay healthy, and why have a guy made of glass that plays only a few weeks per season.
The peak of the season was sweeping the Dodgers. Since then they have gone 29-38. It’s almost like that was their World Series and then they just quit.
However, I think it’s still crazy to the think that if we win out then we only miss a 90 win season by 1 game.
IF the Golden Era is dead I’m fine with that. We all got to witness one of the greatest runs by a team in MLB history. I’m perfectly content just watching Altuve and Correa ride off into the sunset together the next 5 years. I do wanna see Altuve pass Manny Ramirez in postseason homers tho
The “golden era” has been dead for about 4 years now, according to reports.
Injuries have fucked this team for some years.
The Golden Era ended in 2023, but the window is still open. An entire off-season to heal up, Alimber and Ullola look poised to replace Framber, the Montero and Abreu contracts are finally off the books, and aside from Altuve and Walker, the roster is still relatively young.
I think it’s done. Altuve has lost some and the decision-making from the owner has been more miss than hit (Abreu, Walker).
We’re not dead, we’re resting.
If we don’t make it to the playoffs. We will be back next season
While I’m disappointed with the way the season is ending, I also understand that it’s a miracle that we’re even here due to all of our injuries and re-injuries. What a joke
Attendance is part of the grade. Need to solve these injury issues.
Couple of things:
Try to trade Sanchez. He’s way too streaky of a hitter for me.
Promote Blubagh to a starting role
I would also consider trading Brice Mathews for pitching, depending on how our injured starters come back next season. If all return to form, then i think we’re ok. However, this year proved you can never have enough pitching.
Other than that im hoping for a more injury free season next year and hoping our 2 rookies in Cam and Zach can make leaps.
Let me count the ways. Too many to list.
Send the medical team to Mars
u/chron Your writers really don’t know that we basically had AAA / AA on the field most of the year?
No. Next question.
I think the Era is still open until Pena leaves.
After that though it becomes altuve 3k hit watch.
Job1. Let Framber walk, in fact, drive him to the airport. Sign AT LEAST 3 starters to go with Hunter and Javier. DO NOT CONSIDER waiting for injured arms to come back. Let Lance go. Next up, rid the team of Christian Walker. I can’t stomach watching this guy bat for another season. Find a decent 1st baseman, get everyone healthy next year and they have a great lineup. Solidify the pitching staff and they will be back.
Lots of holes to fill next season especially if Framber leaves, but also a lot of money to address needs with.
Will be interesting to see what we do because we have a lot of different paths we could take, particularly with 1B, where to stick Altuve, and the OF.
Desperately need at minimum 2 SP who aren’t big injury risks and one big bat.
I am not a koolaid drinker and not one to call someone a doomer, but damn this Chron guy is a doomer.
I was hoping to read about moves they could make to improve in ‘26. This is just doomer clickbait.
With better health next year and so retooling, 2026 could be bright. I don’t think it is the end of an era. You still have Yordan. Correa has been very good. Peña has come into his own. I remember when they first brought up Tucker and he sucked. But then he got his feet under him and became a star. I could see Cam and/or Cole doing that. They need to get Framber off this team ASAP. Like don’t even make a qualifying offer. He is a head case cancer. Try and get one good SP to slot behind Hunter. There is hope for a reset in 2026.
Just the Chron publishing BS again.
Maybe this means tickets will be cheaper next season!