Houston Astros: An early look at who the team should/n’t keep in free agency

The Houston Astros have had an incredible season so far but several key pieces are ticketed for free agency. Here is an early look at who the team needs to keep.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the Houston Astros have finally clinched a playoff berth this season for the second year in a row. With their thrashing of the Angels at the hands of Yuli Gurriel, they locked at least a playoff spot.

There is still a chance that the Astros don’t win the division though, that seems unlikely as the team as the easiest strength of schedule the rest of the way. The Astros magic number to clinch the division is six. In some combination of Astros wins and A’s losses will guarantee a division round matchup against the Indians.

The Astros have two more home games left against the Angels this weekend. Following the conclusion of this series, the Astros will travel to Toronto for a three-game series against the Blue Jays and then to Baltimore to finish out the final four games of the season.

There are seven players on this team that contribute regularly and will contribute in the playoffs that are bound for free agency this offseason. This will really be the first class that the Astros have to make tough decisions on since they started contending.

There are guys that will be tough to figure out whether the team should let them go or not. There are also guys that are sure to be on other teams next year and guys that will be back in Houston. So, let’s get figuring out how these decisions should go down.