The Houston Astros face a critical offseason as they aim to return to the postseason. While health is always important, the Astros must rebuild their pitching staff. Although the Astros have added new pitchers such as Mike Burrows, Nate Pearson, and Ryan Weiss, much more work is needed.
The Astros are Adding New Pitchers to the Roster in Different Ways
New Astros Pitchers
The major league Rule Five draft took place in December and gave the Astros another opportunity to add pitching. Houston has typically stayed quiet in the major league portion of the Rule Five draft. The last time the Astros made a selection in that category came in 2017, when they chose Texas Rangers left-hander Anthony Gose, who was cut during spring training.
Astros 2025 Rule Five Selection
After eight seasons, the Astros made a major league Rule Five selection. They picked Cincinnati Reds right-hander Roddery Muñoz. This is a unique pick because Muñoz already has a good amount of significant league experience. He appeared in 27 big league games.
The 25-year-old made his MLB debut back in March of 2024 for the Miami Marlins and pitched in 18 games, starting 17. Muñoz has a substantial number of innings under his belt, which is especially unusual for a Rule Five pick. He threw 82.2 innings in 2024 but struggled to a 6.53 ERA and a 2-7 record.
The 6-foot-2, 210-lb righty managed to play in nine MLB games for the St. Louis Cardinals this past season, but finished with an 8.18 ERA across 11 innings. With his struggles, Muñoz most recently pitched for the Cardinals’ Triple-A team, the Memphis Redbirds.
He spent most of 2025 in Memphis, appearing in 38 games. Muñoz threw 57.2 innings with a 3.28 ERA and had a 4-3 record. While he has bounced between organizations, the experience is there with 393.2 minor league and 93.2 major league innings pitched.
The Plan for Muñoz
Teams primarily used Muñoz as a starter, but he was limited to the bullpen last season. The Astros plan to keep him there. Ideally, Houston wants to deploy Muñoz as another option for the back of the bullpen. Muñoz has a strong fastball that reaches 96 mph and an above-average 27.5% strikeout rate in 2025.
While he was primarily a fastball pitcher last season, Muñoz has shifted more to his breaking stuff. His slider and cutter usage jumped nearly 10% from 2024 to 2025. Muñoz now uses those two pitches just over 60% of the time. The Astros management likes the upside and his breaking ball. After moving to a full-time relief role, Muñoz turned the corner in Triple-A with a 0.82 ERA in September. He gave up just one earned run and 14 strikeouts in 11 innings.
The Status of the Astros Bullpen
If Houston develops him during spring training, there is a good chance he can be a real contributor. The Astros added Pearson to a cheap, one-year deal earlier this offseason, and he’ll likely be in the bullpen as well. Houston also typically doesn’t jump into the Korean Baseball Organization player pool for MLB, but they did earlier this month for Weiss, who will battle for a rotation spot. If Weiss falls short, he could also be a bullpen option.
Besides Josh Hader and Bryan Abreu, the Astros are searching for a couple of other reliable arms. While Bennett Sousa looked solid before his injury, the others have been inconsistent.
Besides Burrows, the Astros have been creative in upgrading their pitchers, given their financial situation. The large contracts of star players, Jim Crane’s refusal to exceed the luxury tax, plus rising arbitration and potential costs for young players, have tightened the budget. General manager Dana Brown and the club are still finding different ways to improve the pitching staff.
The Astros must keep Muñoz on their 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season and pay the Reds $100,000 or place him on waivers if it doesn’t work out.
Main Photo Credits: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images