The Houston Astros started the 2015 season with a payroll of $72 million, which finished at about $92 million after trades and prospect promotions. These payroll numbers come from Brian McTaggart’s piece on the Astros increasing salary for 2016. The Astros have money to spend; the question is whether or not the free-agents will want to come to Houston?
It was reported last offseason that several key free agents turned down more money to play for other teams besides the Houston Astros. These included, but not limited to, Ryan Vogelsong, Andrew Miller, and David Robertson.