Astros given brutal reality check by ESPN analyst for Framber Valdez reason

The Houston Astros are competing in an AL West that's been taken over by the Seattle Mariners. While the Athletics and Texas Rangers might be fringe postseason teams, and the Los Angeles Angels are at the bottom of MLB, the Astros are still far from a postseason lock.

Houston's roster isn't in a bad spot, but there are still some areas of concern with the team. Most notably, with the starting rotation, thanks in part to the loss of Framber Valdez.

That loss is a big one, and is one of the reasons for ESPN's Tim Keown to give the Astros a brutal reality check. Keown doesn't believe Houston can make the postseason and that their run as a playoff team is over.

Astros given brutal reality check from ESPN analyst

"With Framber Valdez in Detroit, this is a team with one established starting pitcher (Brown) and a lineup that's either old (35-year-old Altuve), unproven (23-year-old Cam Smith), or recently refurbished (Alvarez)," Keown writes. "The Astros had a good, long run, but it's over. Don't live in the past."

Keown's comments show a clear belief that the Astros are not simply going to struggle, but that their heyday as perennial World Series contenders is over.

With a weaker roster than they've had in years past, with aging players and uncertain starting spots all across the roster, including in the rotation after Hunter Brown, the Astros struggling this year would not be a surprise at all.

More: Jacob DeGrom is only 149 strikeouts from 2,000 for his career

But these comments are still a bold and brutal way to make the case that Houston's 2026 might not be a postseason year and that their struggles will continue.

Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, and a potentially resurgent Lance McCullers Jr. could make for a good rotation after Brown, but there are too many question marks there and elsewhere on the roster to have full confidence in this team.

The Astros are a very polarizing team. If everything comes together, they could be a top World Series contender, but if things fall apart, they could finish third or even fourth in the AL West.

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