Brandon Bielak (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
These three members of the Houston Astros 40-man roster will be gone before the 2023 season is over.
The defending World Series Champion Houston Astros will embark on a title defense this season with many familiar names and faces. Jose Abreu is the biggest addition while Justin Verlander is the most notable to leave.
Not everyone who goes on the journey from the start will remain with the club from start to finish. Although they’ve been relatively quiet with their offseason moves, the Astros will be likely to DFA some players along the way. They made significant upgrades at last year’s trade deadline. The same can be expected this season, too.
These three players currently on the 40-man roster will be the ones who won’t make it through the year.
1) The Astros will find an upgrade for Brandon Bielak
Brandon Bielak could be considered the long man out of the Astros bullpen to start the season. He has had a few sips of coffee with the team since 2020, topping out with 50 innings pitched in 2021 and another 12.1 last season.
Much of his 2022 campaign was spent in Triple-A working as a starter and reliever. There is certainly a benefit of having a guy like Bielak on the 40-man roster. However, the Astros will be able to find alternative plans by the time the trade deadline arrives.
One way to push Bielak out of the picture is to acquire another starting pitcher. We’ll have to already believe it’s something the Astros could consider for the stretch run. If this does happen, Bielak would need to have some good numbers to stick around on the 26-man roster. He’ll have to look at least serviceable to stay on the 40-man.
Thus far, in 94.1 innings at the big league level. Bielak has a 5.15 ERA. He is looking more like a Four-A player than a regular big-league contributor. The Astros can do better than him. With just one minor league option remaining, Houston might DFA him and hope he passes through waivers.