Entering last offseason, the Astros had enviable depth in their starting rotation. Losing Justin Verlander, the 2022 AL Cy Young winner, in free agency wasn’t something to lightly brush off, but the club was arguably deep enough to survive a full season if everything broke right. Injuries were the largest threat to upending the organization’s plans, at least as it pertained to the projected starting five or six depending on the schedule. But as the old saying goes, “You never have enough pitching.”
Alas, with injuries to Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy, the depth that the club was banking on is now virtually gone.