Houston Astros one week from Opening Day

The Astros return to Minute Maid Park in one week for the start of their 2024 campaign to win another title.

Why it matters: This year's push pits Houston against reigning World Series champions the Texas Rangers and the rest of the league as they hope to extend their seven-year streak of reaching the American League Championship Series — and hopefully beyond.

Flashback: Houston lost a bitter, seven-game ALCS last year to the Rangers, who went on to win the whole thing.

State of play: The Astros are under the management of new skipper Joe Espada, the team's longtime bench coach, and enter the season with some new faces and familiar favorites gracing the team.

• The Astros notably picked up former San Diego Padres relief pitcher Josh Hader in January, adding depth to the bullpen.
• ​​In December, they signed catcher Victor Caratini , who last year played for the Milwaukee Brewers and will back up Yainer Díaz behind the plate.
• Several of the Astros' big bats are also returning, including Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and José Altuve, who cemented his legacy as an Astro for life when he signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension in February.

The latest: The Astros' starting rotation is ailing coming into the season, particularly for veteran ace Justin Verlander, right-hander José Urquidy and often-injured Lance McCullers Jr., who will all start the season on the injured list.

• Utility player Michael Brantley, who retired after last season, was long rumored to return as a coach and was spotted this week in uniform giving shortstop Jeremy Peña advice in the batting cages.

By the numbers: As of March 15, the Astros had sold the 10th-most tickets of MLB teams on StubHub this year, according to the online retailer.

• StubHub is crediting the overall spike in ticket sales this season to international interest, particularly in the Los Angeles Dodgers, which landed Shohei Ohtani in the offseason.

The intrigue: The Astros are one of only a handful of teams playing internationally this season.

• They'll take on the Colorado Rockies in Mexico City on April 27 and 28.

💭 Jay's thought bubble: I'm all in on the Astros this year.

• With 162 games ahead of us, it's a long road to October baseball. But even if Houston doesn't make it far in the postseason, there's always the Cancun World Series .

What we're watching: The opening series against the formidable New York Yankees starting March 28.

• Tickets for the midday season opener are still available starting at $98.

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