Chandler Rome calls Astros roster a fundamental mess

The season ended in Houston, and the Astros' beat writer went on Foul Territory and didn't sugarcoat any of it.

Foul Territory

@FoulTerritoryTV

The Astros were a "fundamental mess" for parts of their series against the White Sox, says @Chandler_Rome. "It was a poorly constructed roster from day one."

"Poorly constructed roster from day one" is about as harsh a verdict as you can give a division champ, and the numbers back him up. Houston won the AL West, but it had to win its last 2 games just to reach.500 and got outscored by 32 runs over the season. Then the White Sox walked into Minute Maid and never let them breathe. In Game 2 Chicago put up 4 runs in the 1st, chased ace Hunter Brown, and Chase Meidroth's 3-run homer in the 6th closed out a 7-3 win and the sweep.

Rome's sharpest point was about the infield. Houston spent last offseason trying to trade either Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker, didn't get it done, and went into the year with more corner bats than lineup spots. Rome's read is that the plan basically became waiting for somebody to get hurt so the logjam would sort itself out.

Foul Territory

@FoulTerritoryTV

Waiting for an injury to allow the Astros' infield to sort itself out is not a true plan, says @Chandler_Rome. "That's how dysfunctional places operate."

"That's how dysfunctional places operate" hits harder once you remember who was running things. Houston fired GM Dana Brown in late August and played the stretch run and the playoffs with no general manager at all. That's not a small detail on a team that's supposed to be a perennial contender, and it explains a lot about how the roster stayed so lopsided all year.

The crowd made its feelings known during the series too. Rome doesn't think the frustration was really aimed at the guys in uniform, though.

Foul Territory

@FoulTerritoryTV

Astros fans expressed their frustrations, but @Chandler_Rome doesn't think it was directed at the players... "I think it was a little more of a reaction to the totality of what's happened over the last year and a half."

That's probably the fairest way to put it. Astros fans spent most of a decade expecting October, and now they're watching a front office with nobody in charge, an infield that never fit together, and a team that only made it because the AL West was weak. Booing isn't really about one bad Wild Card series. It's about not knowing who's steering the ship.

Now comes the hard part. Houston has to hire a new lead executive, and that choice will likely decide when, or whether, Joe Espada gets his deal sorted. Bryan Abreu is headed for free agency and Paredes' contract status is up in the air. If Rome is right that this roster was broken from day one, the next GM has a lot to fix, and fans who just watched the White Sox celebrate in their building won't be patient about it.