Offseason Outlook: Houston Astros

The Astros won the American League West this year but mostly due to the historic weakness of the division. On the whole, it was a disappointing season and change is in the air. There will be a new front office leader and new manager for 2027. It’s possible the roster sees significant turnover as well. Guaranteed Contracts Carlos Correa, SS: $60.5MM through 2028 (Twins still owe $30MM as part of trade; contract includes club/vesting options for 2029-2032) Yordan Alvarez, LF/DH: $52MM through 2028 Jose Altuve, 2B: $50MM through 2029 Josh Hader, LHP: $38MM through 2028 Tatsuya Imai, RHP: $36MM through 2028 (Imai declined post-2026 opt-out; can opt out after 2027) Cristian Javier, RHP: $21MM through 2027 Christian Walker, 1B: $20MM through 2027 Option Decisions Tatsuya Imai, RHP: declined to opt out of two years and $36MM remaining Isaac Paredes, IF: club exercised $13.35MM option Ryan Weiss, RHP: team declined $5MM option in favor of $500K buyout 2027 financial commitments: $168.35MM Total future commitments: $261.35MM Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz) Peter Lambert (5.069): $4.6MM Jeremy Peña (5.000): $13.1MM Hunter Brown (4.035): $6.8MM Yainer Diaz (4.035): $6.3MM Hayden Wesneski (3.170): $1.8MM Nick Allen (3.164): $1.8MM Bennett Sousa (3.156): $1.3MM Taylor Trammell (3.143): $1.5MM Ronel Blanco (3.100): $1.4MM Non-tender candidates: Sousa, Trammell, Blanco Free Agents LaMonte Wade Jr., Jake Meyers, Christian Vázquez, Daulton Varsho, Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert, Enyel De Los Santos The Astros have been one of the best teams in baseball over the past decade-plus but the trend lines are moving down. Former core players like Alex Bregman, Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker are long gone. The club won 106 games and a championship in 2022 but their win total has dropped to 90, 88, 87 and 81 in the past four years. They were swept out of the Wild Card round in 2024 and missed the playoffs in 2025. They somehow returned to the postseason in 2026 but only because the division was historically bad. The Astros were the first team ever to get into the playoffs in a full season without a winning record. They were swept out of the first round by the upstart White Sox. Despite making the playoffs, owner Jim Crane clearly felt change was needed. General manager Dana Brown was dispatched in August. Lame-duck manager Joe Espada was allowed to finish the season but will not be brought back for 2027. Randy Flores has been tapped as the new general manager after years as an assistant general manager/scouting director for the Cardinals. Flores will presumably have some say in the search for a new bench boss. Flores is taking over a roster that’s fairly uneven. The team is still decent but their best players are getting old or nearing free agency. Thanks to their constant competitiveness and some penalties related to the sign-stealing scandal, the farm system is considered one of the worst in the league. Crane has frequently said he doesn’t want to do a full rebuild again. He made similar comments when introducing Flores this week. Presumably, the club will try to compete again in 2027 but there are long-term concerns to think about. Most of their core players are old, approaching free agency or both. The farm system doesn’t appear to be overflowing with replacements. The self-imposed spending limits are tight. In the short term, the crowded infield has been a talking point for over a year but remains an issue. The outfield has been lacking for the past two seasons. The rotation was wobbly throughout 2026. The bullpen wasn’t too bad but a number of key arms are departing. On the dirt, the Astros have had five guys for four spots ever since they re-acquired Carlos Correa at the 2025 deadline, though injuries have mostly prevented it from staying clogged for too long. Isaac Paredes was injured at the time of the Correa trade in 2025. In the 2025-26 offseason, it felt like a trade was necessary to clear things up before the next campaign started. On paper, the Astros had Jeremy Peña at short, Jose Altuve at second, Christian Walker at first and then both Paredes and Correa options for third base. Using the designated hitter spot was tricky because Yordan Alvarez is in there most days. The 2025 experiment with Altuve in left field was a disaster. Despite a lot of trade rumors, no one was traded before the 2026 season began. The logjam was rarely an issue as Peña dealt with a few injuries early on and then Correa suffered a season-ending ankle injury in May. Going into 2027, the Astros could again hold all five guys and wait for injuries to sort things out. However, there are arguments for them to more aggressively target a trade this time. They have needs elsewhere on the roster. As mentioned, their farm system isn’t strong, so trading prospects wouldn’t be ideal. Trading from this infield surplus could either address their other needs or free up cash to do so. The question would be which one to trade? Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco. Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony. Remove ads and support our writers. Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker