Encore? Champion Astros loaded again this year

HOUSTON» Not long after the Houston Astros won the 2017 World Series, third baseman Alex Bregman got another big reason to smile.

Justin Verlander wasn’t simply a late-season rental. He was under contract with the team for two more seasons. Bregman’s reaction, caught on a teammate’s Instagram Live account, was one of pure joy, filled with shrieks and yelling.

The Astros could have more grins in store this season: Manager A.J. Hinch will not only have the ace right-hander for the whole year, he will have a loaded rotation and pretty much every key player who helped Houston win it all last fall, from American League MVP Jose Altuve to World Series MVP George Springer and all-star Carlos Correa.

Acquired in an Aug. 31 trade with Detroit, Verlander was 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 43 strikeouts in five regular-season starts for Houston before going 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA and making his first career relief appearance in the postseason to help the Astros win their first title.

The 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner leads a pitching staff that is arguably the best in baseball and one of many reasons the Astros believe they will contend for the title again this year. He will start next Thursday when the Astros open the season on the road against the Texas Rangers, followed by 2015 Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, new acquisition Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton.

The 35-year-old Verlander admitted that his time with Houston last season was a bit of a blur, and he is looking forward to having more time this year to settle in and get to know his teammates.

“The last few years, I’ve done a much better job of taking (off my blinders) and seeing what other guys are doing, watching their routines and seeing any way that maybe I could help guys out,” he said.