Several years ago, the Astros front office pledged two things: to build a winner, and make that winning sustainable over a long period of time.

It delivered on both promises. The forecast for the 2019 Astros is similar to the past two seasons, both of which extended far into October, with the big payoff arriving with a World Series title in '17.

The Astros have strong starting pitching and one of the best lineups in baseball, and will enter the 2019 season as the favorites to win the American League West title for a third consecutive year. They have four legitimate AL MVP candidates and two likely AL Cy Young Award finalists, and a chunk of top-shelf talent in the Minors waiting for that first big league opportunity.

The Astros, looking to build a dynasty, have the personnel to coast to a title in a somewhat pedestrian AL West and, if healthy, are in good position to compete for their second World Series title in three years.

What's the goal?

The goal for this year remains the same as it has been for the past two -- win the World Series. The window is still wide open, and the Astros took some major steps in the final week of camp to keep that window open longer by offering contract extensions to All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman (five years, $100 million), ace pitcher Justin Verlander (two years, $66 million) and shut-down reliever Ryan Pressly (two years, $17.5 million).

The Astros have a strong pipeline of young talent -- led by top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley (No. 7 overall, per MLB Pipeline) -- that will be in the big leagues soon enough, making it unlikely they'll have to break everything down and start a rebuild, in the immediate or distant future. But veterans have a reliability factor that can't be matched, and having experience in the current rotation and lineup makes this a prime year for Houston to go for it again. 

What could go wrong?

Health -- what else? -- could be a factor. Remember how the 2018 season ended? Jose Altuve had a broken kneecap, Carlos Correa had a bad back and Lance McCullers Jr. pitched briefly in the playoffs, despite needing Tommy John surgery. The Astros rolled through the Division Series and looked like they might run the table, but a week later, their season was over.

Altuve appears to be completely over his knee problems, and Correa looks strong and healthy. But the regular season is six months, not six weeks, and it hasn't been that long since Houston's injuries cost the team the season. It's probably too early to assume with confidence the Astros are 100 percent past those issues. The midway point will likely be a better indicator.

Who might surprise?

The Astros acquired Aledmys Díaz to replace Marwin Gonzalez, who though "just" a utility man, showed time and again why he was an indispensable part of the Astros' core for six seasons. Diaz has half the amount of big league service time and a fraction of the experience at many of the positions he may be asked to play this year, making him less of a sure thing. Especially compared to Gonzalez's final three seasons in Houston.

But the Astros have high expectations, and even higher hopes for Diaz, a sound offensive player who has shown an aptitude for moving around the diamond. The Astros' offensive makeup hasn't changed dramatically since last year, but the loss of Gonzalez may be felt more than the club expects. A better-than-expected showing from the new guy would help ease the transition.