The Houston Astros’ offseason failure did not address this major concern

The Houston Astros’ struggles this season are mainly due to the injuries they have suffered. Factor in a new manager, we’re still early in the season, and besides, it’s not too surprising to see them struggle the way they did.

However, it was an unusual time for an organization that has dominated baseball for the past decade.

Looking at an offseason mulligan that every MLB team wishes they had, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller listed the Astros’ biggest problem as not fixing their injured rotation.

“Rather than make a last-minute move to do something about the depleted rotation, they decided to simply let it roll with “sophomores” Hunter Brown and JP France, rookie Spencer Arrighetti and journeyman Ronel Blanco getting consistent rounds throughout the rotation,” Miller wrote.

While they can’t control all the injuries they’ve dealt with, Houston knew Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. would be out to start the season. Justin Verlander arrived at spring training with an arm injury and Jose Urquidy wasn’t going to be ready for opening day.

Instead of addressing that need, the front office decided to evolve him, and they paid the price early on. Previous seasons suggested they could develop players on both sides of the baseball, as evidenced by letting Carlos Correa and George Springer walk and then winning a championship afterward.

However, pitching is a different animal, and adding arms was the right thing to do when they knew they were going to face problems on that side.

The hope is that they will return to good health as soon as they seek to get back on track.

Over the last 10 games, the Astros have shown they can still be an elite team, going 7-3 over that span. It’s going to take a lot more for them to get back to where they need to be, but it’s a step in the right direction.