Great summary of a "bad" season by current Astros standards. So many shaky decisions were made, starting with roster construction and ending with Dusty's ALCS malpractice. Injuries cost us some wins, but I don't think they're the main reason we lost a lot more games than last year. Ownership, management and the team itself all share in that blame, just as they all get credit for an incredible 2022.
I expect Alvarez to miss quite a few games in 2024. It's just his pattern. Based on age alone, I also could see JV, Altuve and/or J Abreu spending time on the injured list. I expect Tucker to bounce back with a solid year, and we'll obviously need to see continued improvement from Pena, Diaz and Brown. If Bregman and Dubon can tread water, the bench bats improve a bit and our veteran pitchers have their average years, we might reach the 96 wins I predicted for us in 2023.
Yes, nearly all other franchises would have gladly traded places with us this year, but we obviously aren't them. As long as Houston's core stays intact, this is a win-it-all-or-who-cares franchise. At least neither the Yankees nor the Dodgers will be raising that trophy.