The Houston Astros made several highly publicized moves during the MLB offseason. Franchise cornerstones were on the move with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and third baseman Alex Bregman both leaving in free agency,

Of course, sometimes, it's those silly marketing ploys to attract casual fans to Daikin Park that help unite the crowd. Therefore, going into the 2025 season, we surveyed the Chron staff, consisting of dedicated and casual fans, about which themes stood out to them.

MLB player prop bets and odds for Yainer Diaz on Monday, March 31, 2025, as the Houston Astros take on the San Francisco Giants.

Cam Smith and his mom: Astros manager Joe Espada said it wasn’t easy convincing Smith’s mom, Stephanie Hocza, to come to the Astros’ clubhouse and personally break the news to Cam that he had made the team.

Houstonians were surprised by the increasingly expensive parking prices and, lack of handicap spaces on Opening Day against the New York Mets.

The Mets took Game 2 by the same 3-1 total. Juan Soto had a solo home run for New York, while third baseman Mark Vientos and DH Jesse Winker had RBIs as well. Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill went five innings, allowing three hits and a run with six strikeouts. Yordan Alvarez had Houston's only RBI.

Houston hopes Paredes' plate discipline is contagious, a reliever is gaining Joe Espada's trust, plus more observations on the first series.

The Houston Astros got their season started off on the right foot over the weekend with a series victory over the New York Mets ahead of an interleague series to start the week against the San Francisco Giants.