ESPN Ranks Astros No. 24 in Way-Too-Early 2027 Power Rankings

ESPN's David Schoenfield ranked the Houston Astros No. 24 in the network's way-too-early 2027 MLB power rankings, published late Wednesday. Houston finished 2026 at 81-81 and sat No. 15 in ESPN's final 2026 rankings. Schoenfield's top five were the Brewers, Dodgers, Yankees, Rays and Red Sox.

The Astros "had three big strengths in 2026: Yordan Alvarez, Josh Hader and home runs (most in the majors)," Schoenfield wrote. That was enough for 81 wins and an AL West title, he added, "but this organization is running on fumes."

Schoenfield listed Houston's run differentials since 2021 as plus-205, plus-219, plus-129, plus-91, plus-21 and minus-32. In plain terms, the club has gone from crushing opponents by large margins to finishing 2026 with a negative run differential for the first time in that stretch. ESPN's rankings are built around current rosters heading into winter, factoring in free agents, what teams showed in 2026, and prospects who could help soon.

Free agents, rookies and payroll room

ESPN listed the Astros' key free agents as right-hander Bryan Abreu, left-hander Steven Okert and outfielder Daulton Varsho. Abreu, heading into free agency after eight seasons in Houston, owns a 2.82 ERA, 146 ERA+ and 528 strikeouts in 392.1 innings over his career, per Baseball Reference. In 2026 he posted a 3.73 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 62.2 innings across 66 games.

Potential 2027 impact rookies, per ESPN: outfielder Lucas Spence and right-hander Ethan Pecko.

Schoenfield wrote that the Astros' payroll "will be about $40 million below where it was in 2026, so there's some room to make some moves." He also noted Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker enter walk years, with Alvarez, Hader and Hunter Brown two seasons from free agency, and said there "will be plenty of trade rumors surrounding the Astros." Given a weak farm system, he wrote, "you could argue the smart move would be to start the rebuilding process," but "that isn't owner Jim Crane's style."

Front-office context

Houston is still searching for a general manager after parting with Dana Brown in August. On Thursday morning, The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported that Brewers assistant GM Matt Kleine "is the focus of the Astros' GM search" and "is the Astros' choice," though "no deal has been finalized or agreed upon." Our earlier story covers that report. ESPN's ranking is a snapshot of the roster heading into winter, not a verdict on who will run it. For the full candidate list and timeline, see our Astros GM search tracker.

Sources: ESPN (David Schoenfield, way-too-early 2027 power rankings), Baseball Reference (Bryan Abreu), Chandler Rome on X, Crawford Box Report (Kleine choice), Crawford Box Report (GM tracker).

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