This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart's Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It might only be December, but there’s a serious case of Draft fever ranging. The root cause is the release of MLB Pipeline’s new 2026 Top 100 Draft Prospects list. The fans are definitely aflame, though, by the upcoming MLB Draft Lottery, which will determine the order of who gets

HOUSTON — The Astros added some depth to their starting rotation on Tuesday by agreeing to a Major League deal with right-hander Ryan Weiss, a source told MLB.com. The deal, which is pending a physical, was not confirmed by the club. Weiss, 28, spent the past two seasons pitching in

With executives from all 30 teams set to descend on Orlando, Fla., for the annual Winter Meetings, the Hot Stove may be on the verge of heating up. Though some clubs have already made some moves this offseason, every team still has plenty of questions to answer between now and

The Rule 5 Draft can be a fascinating, if imperfect, process, and you only need to look at last year’s edition to see why. On one hand, the White Sox selected Shane Smith from the Brewers and watched him blossom into an All-Star before finishing with a 3.81 ERA and

MLB.com Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart took questions from fans in an r/Astros AMA. The full conversation can be viewed here, but below is a sampling of the best questions and answers, lightly edited for clarity.

When I was a kid, one of my favorite activities during long road trips with my family was Mad Libs. Remember that one? Every page was a story with a number of blank spaces, requiring players to fill those spaces in with different words to create the whole story. With

This page will be updated throughout the offseason with all the latest Astros injury news and transactions.

HOUSTON -- When Maria and Josh Hader decided to make Houston their full-time home following Josh's signing with the Astros prior to the 2024 season, the couple knew they wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of young people in their new community. The Haders have been giving

HOUSTON, TX — The Houston Astros have finalized their 2026 Major League coaching staff with the additions of Ethan Katz as an assistant pitching coach and Tim Cossins as a catching instructor. The two join manager Joe Espada and the remainder of his staff, which is listed below. The coaching

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. In the words of a great bird I once met, “Gobble, gobble.” Thanksgiving is not a holiday traditionally associated with baseball, but if you’re reading a baseball site on Thanksgiving Day, you know that in a just world, every holiday is one associated with baseball. So today,

The Astros on Friday announced they tendered contracts to all 11 of their arbitration-eligible players, in the wake of subtracting two others from their roster this week -- utilitymen Mauricio Dubón (traded to the Braves) and Ramón Urías (designated for assignment).

HOUSTON -- Shortly after fireballing closer Billy Wagner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, the Astros retired his No. 13 in a ceremony at Daikin Park. His became the 10th number retired by the Astros, including Wagner’s former teammates Craig Biggio (No. 7) and Jeff

HOUSTON -- One day after they designated utility infielder Ramón Urías for assignment, the Astros traded veteran Gold Glove utility infielder/outfielder Mauricio Dubón to the Braves in exchange for infielder Nick Allen on Wednesday night. The moves give the Astros some payroll flexibility in their pursuit of pitching, which is

Kevin McGonigle left no doubt that he was the best prospect in the Arizona Fall League this season. Ranked second on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, the Tigers infielder burnished his reputation as the best pure hitter in the Minor Leagues en route to winning Most Valuable Player honors.

HOUSTON -- Where were you when the final out of the 2022 World Series was recorded? Or how about when Jose Altuve hit his walk-off homer to eliminate the Yankees in the 2019 American League Championship Series? Perhaps you were in the stands for the final out of Mike Scott’s

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- Veteran left-hander Framber Valdez turned down the Astros’ qualifying offer Tuesday, one day before his 32nd birthday. Four of the 13 players who received qualifying offers accepted them prior to Tuesday’s deadline. Instead of returning to the Astros in 2026 on a one-year, $22.025 million deal, Valdez hits

While we’re sad to see another Arizona Fall League season come to an end -- No. 33 to be precise -- we’re still celebrating all of the impressive prospect performances we witnessed. Later this week, we’ll have a ranking of top prospects based more on long-term value. For now, we

On the heels of a 2025 season that saw large viewership increases -- including the most watched postseason in eight years and a World Series Game 7 that was the most watched Major League Baseball game in 34 years -- MLB announced Wednesday that it has formed new three-year media

HOUSTON – Miguel Ullola, a hard-throwing right-hander who’s ranked as the Astros’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was added to the 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to protect players from being selected in next month's Rule 5 Draft. Infielder Ramón Urías was designated for assignment. Ullola, 23, spent

HOUSTON -- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who was bothered by a sore right foot in the final two weeks of the regular season, underwent a minor skin aspiration Monday, a source told MLB.com. He will be ready for the start of Spring Training. Altuve had a procedure to remove

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot for the 2026 Hall of Fame election was released on Monday, with 12 new names joining a group of 15 holdovers from the 2025 voting cycle. In both of the past two years, the BBWAA has elected three players, two of whom were

HOUSTON -- Should the Astros try to bring back veteran right-hander Justin Verlander this offseason? Considering the Astros’ need for starting pitching depth, signing Verlander for a third stint in Houston makes sense for a lot of reasons. At the top of the list is that the Astros might not