The Astros have been a fixture in the AL playoff picture for over a decade, taking home World Series trophies in 2017 and 2022. They served as the perfect blueprint for rebuilding franchises, stockpiling young talent and continually getting the most out of overlooked players. Unfortunately, the club’s core is reaching the end of its lifecycle, and last season was the first time Houston missed out on the playoffs since 2016. The team has struggled to right the ship so far in 2026,...

Now that the 2025/26 offseason is essentially over, we’re checking our work to see how well our model correlated to the league – in two markets. First up was our self-check on our model’s performance in the trade market. Now it’s time to look at how we did in the free agent market.   The numbers Number of signings: 120 Average AAV delta between our model and the actual deal, in absolute value terms: $3.4M Percentage of signings that fell within our average...

Welcome back to the Baseball Trade Values Podcast! In this episode, founder John Bitzer (@johnbitzer2) and Associate Editor Joshua Iversen (@jive_mlb) break down the first value update of the 2026 season. Then, they discuss who's hot and who's not to start the season, a run of major extensions including Konnor Griffin and Pete Crow-Armstrong, and much more. Listen to the episode through your favorite podcast provider, or via the media player or download link below:     Download...

Welcome back to the Baseball Trade Values Podcast! In this episode, founder John Bitzer (@johnbitzer2) and Associate Editor Joshua Iversen (@jive_mlb) break down the BTV model's performance evaluating free agents this offseason. Then, they discuss extensions for Jesus Luzardo and Christopher Sanchez, extension rumors for Nick Kurtz and Freddy Peralta, former top prospects being optioned to the minors and much more. Listen to the episode through your favorite podcast provider, or via the media...

Welcome back to the Baseball Trade Values Podcast! In this episode, founder John Bitzer (@johnbitzer2) and Associate Editor Joshua Iversen (@jive_mlb) break down the BTV model's performance evaluating trades this offseason. Then, they discuss the Max Scherzer signing, Jurickson Profar's suspension, the Padres' offseason and more. Listen to the episode through your favorite podcast provider, or via the media player or download link below:     Download link:...