ESPN Offers Up Harsh, Yet Fair Assessment of Astros Offseason Needs

The 2013 Houston Astros finished an MLB-worst 51-111, for the franchise’s third straight sub-60 win season. As you’d expect the team needs some work and ESPN’s Baseball Tonight crew at the Winter Meetings pulled no punches listing the team’s areas needed for improvement: pitching, hitting and fielding. (At least the Worldwide Leader left off “odor.”)

Houston has made a few moves toward respectibility this winter, trading for Dexter Fowler and signing Scott Feldman, although you could argue the merits of a three-year, $30 million deal to a guy with a lifetime 4.62 ERA. The Astros will also have the No. 1 pick in the draft again and GM Jeff Luhnow seems to have a plan in place.

Until then, Houston did provide us with one of the funniest moments of the 2013 season, the “Butt Tag.”