HOUSTON (AP) — The Astros are not short on confidence heading to spring training Joe Carter Jersey , not after winning 103 games and with most of their roster intact from last year’s run to the AL Championship Series.“I love this team,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “And when we show up next week if this is the roster we have, we’ve got a really good chance of accomplishing our goals this year.”Houston has its stars in place, including 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve, shortstop Carlos Correa, third baseman Alex Bregman, 2017 World Series MVP George Springer and starters Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, who combined for 31 wins and 566 strikeouts in 2018.“We have four position players that could be an MVP this year. We’ve got two pitchers that could be a Cy Young,” Luhnow said. “I think that is a pretty good starting point for a team. We’re going to have good pitchers on the mound every night. We’re going to have an offense that’s going to score a lot of runs. We play good defense. We run. We play good fundamentals. It’s a fun team to watch and they all get along with each other.”That doesn’t mean there aren’t some new faces around as pitchers and catchers get ready to report to spring training Feb. 13.NEW LOOKThe Astros did lose a few key players this offseason. Their biggest losses were starters Charlie Morton, who made his first All-Star team last season Francisco Lindor Jersey , and 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. Their departure will allow Collin McHugh to return to the rotation after pitching in relief for the first time in his career last season, and leaves an opportunity for a young player to snag the fifth spot in the rotation.Also gone is utility player Marwin Gonzalez. One of the longest tenured Astros, Gonzalez had been with the team since 2012 and was the team’s jack of all trades, appearing at every position except pitcher and catcher in his seven seasons in Houston. The Astros signed Aledmys Diaz to take over Gonzalez’s role, but manager A.J. Hinch said he’ll also ask first baseman Yuli Gurriel to move around the infield to help out.Houston’s two most important offseason acquisitions were adding left-handed starter Wade Miley and outfielder Michael Brantley. Miley will take Keuchel’s spot in the rotation and Brantley will provide at upgrade in left field.ROOKIES TO WATCHThis veteran team won’t have a lot of rookies on its opening day roster, but a pair of young pitchers will be vying for the fifth spot in the rotation. Josh James and Framber Valdez both made their MLB debuts late last season, but will still be considered rookies this season because of their limited work last year. The left-handed Valdez was 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA in eight games with five starts last season. James performed so well after a September call-up that he made Houston’s playoff roster. The 25-year-old, whose fastball routinely hits 102 mph, could also be an option in the bullpen.THEY’RE SETWhile the Astros have plenty of strengths, their most stable area should be the middle infield with Altuve Corey Kluber Jersey , Correa and Bregman all expected to be healthy after dealing with injuries late last season. Bregman was the MVP of last year’s All-Star game in his first trip to the event in a season where he set career highs with 31 homers and 103 RBIs and hit an AL-leading 51 doubles. The Astros expect Altuve and Correa to return to form after solid, but not stellar, 2018 seasons.THEY’RE NOTCatcher could be a shaky spot for the Astros after Houston didn’t re-sign veteran Brian McCann. Houston added Robinson Chirinos in the offseason and he should start, but Max Stassi, who started 88 games last season, will need to improve to solidify the position.ON DECKCompetition for the fifth spot in the rotation should be interesting and could go down to the wire. The Astros open the season with a four-game series at Tampa Bay starting on March 28. The Los Angeles Angels might be out of the running for a playoff spot, but they can certainly factor in the American League West race.The Angels open a three-game series against the AL West-leading Houston Astros on Friday night at Angel Stadium, the first of 10 games against the reigning World Series champions over the next month.The Astros (77-50) entered Thursday with a one-game lead over the Oakland A’s and a 5 1/2-game edge on the Seattle Mariners.Article continues below ...The Angels (63-65) have six games remaining against Oakland and four against Seattle, which is chasing the A’s for the final AL wild-card spot.Houston will send left-hander Dallas Keuchel to the mound in the series opener. Keuchel is 11-2 in his career against the Angels with a 3.41 ERA. He’s 25-23 against the rest of the AL West.He won his only start against the Angels this season, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning on July 20 in Anaheim before allowing one unearned run and two hits over 7 2/3 innings of the 3-1 win.He has won his past five decisions against Los Angeles overall with his last loss coming on Sept. 11 Ricky Vaughn Jersey , 2015 at Angel Stadium.Keuchel (9-10, 3.59 ERA) hasn’t been able to get his record over .500 this season, however.He had three chances after moving to 9-9 in an 8-3 win against the Mariners on Aug. 1, but had no decisions in his next two starts and then took the loss in a 7-1 defeat against the A’s on Saturday.Keuchel gave up five runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. Six of those hits were doubles.“They got in that momentum with really good at-bats and double after double after double,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com afterward. “He didn’t need to make perfect pitches, but he didn’t get the ball on the ground today the way he normally does.”The series will mark the return of Houston catcher Martin Maldonado to Anaheim. He was acquired from the Angels in a trade on July 26.Maldonado has three home runs in 16 games with the Astros after hitting five in 78 games with the Angels.Reports have also surfaced that Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout could return Friday. Trout was on the 10-day disabled list with a sore right wrist when his brother-in-law, Aaron Cox, died on Aug. 15.Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney is also looking to get over .500 for the first time this season. He’s had six chances, but is 0-3 with three no-decisions in those games.Most recently he missed an opportunity against the Texas Rangers, allowing six runs and 10 hits on Saturday and leaving after 5 2/3 innings with the score tied 6-6. The Angels went on to win 11-7.Heaney (7-7 Michael Brantley Jersey , 4.11 ERA) beat the Astros in his two starts this season, both times to get his record back to .500. Those are his only two decisions in four career starts against the Astros.Heaney will try to lift his teammates, who have dropped five of their past six games. In addition to being without Trout, left fielder Justin Upton has missed the past two games with a cut on his right index finger, forcing Angels manager Mike Scioscia to go with a younger, more inexperienced lineup.“We have some guys who are figuring it out as they play every day,” Scioscia told the Orange County Register following a 5-1 loss at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. “These guys need to play to figure stuff out.”