After a wild-card round loss to the White Sox, and their third consecutive year without a playoff win, the Houston Astros face a winter of numerous questions.
Foremost is who will replace former general manager Dana Brown, who was dismissed in August. Astros owner Jim Crane has offered no timeline for that search while overseeing a small group – three assistant general managers and senior advisor Jeff Bagwell – running baseball operations in the absence of a GM.
Still unclear as of Saturday morning, meanwhile, was the future of manager Joe Espada, who is not under contract beyond this season. Espada acknowledged the uncertainty of his status after Houston’s playoff exit, while saying that he would “absolutely” like to return as manager.
Lack of clarity on who will be making decisions for Houston this offseason – along with the possibility of a lockout when the sport’s labor agreement expires on Dec. 1 – makes it impossible to forecast how the club will approach a weighty offseason coming off an 81-81 finish and another early postseason exit.
But some questions to address are evident. Here are several that do not involve the future of the GM or manager roles:
How to resolve the infield
The infield surplus Houston carried into this season is intact for 2027, as well. It resolved itself this year when Jeremy Peña dealt with early injuries and Carlos Correa sustained a season-ending ankle injury in May. But it creates an illogical roster with all expected healthy in 2027 and five infielders – Jose Altuve, Correa, Christian Walker, Peña and Paredes – among its nine highest-paid players this season.
So, how to address the logjam remains a question. Neither Altuve nor Correa are going anywhere. Peña and Paredes are both entering their final seasons before being eligible for free agency. Walker is entering his last season of a three-year, $60 million deal.
Peña would be the Astros’ most valuable trade chip this offseason if they explore moving the shortstop. Correa could be a fallback there, though he embraced the move to third base after rejoining Houston as one to help prolong his career. Paredes, the Astros’ second-most valuable player by bWAR and OPS-plus this year, could also attract trade interest and potentially reopen third base for Correa.
Any attempt to trade Walker, who hit 29 home runs this year, could be complicated by his contract, age and inconsistent offense the past two seasons. It would likely require Houston to cover a significant amount of Walker’s remaining salary but could allow Paredes to move across the diamond to first base.
Much of the Astros’ offseason approach is hard to predict right now. It was telling that Correa, on Sept. 18, said when asked if he expects to play third base next season: “I don’t know. I’m ready to play third, second, short, first – wherever they need me, I’ll be ready.”
Jeremy Peña’s future
Two winters ago, with Kyle Tucker entering his final season of team control and poised to seek the kind of mega-deal Houston has avoided under Crane, the Astros traded the right fielder to the Cubs for two major-league pieces (Paredes and Hayden Wesneski) and a touted prospect (Cam Smith).
Peña, 29, will be in the same situation this offseason, creating the question of whether the Astros will take a similar approach with him. Even if someone else is running baseball operations, it will be Crane deciding whether or not to award long-term deals. Two players have signed nine-figure deals with the Astros during his tenure: Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez.
Whether the Astros would deviate from precedent there seems the basic question. Peña has become a vital piece of Houston’s infield, but this is a franchise that let Correa and Alex Bregman leave in free agency. Peña’s résumé is not quite the same as those players’ when they left, but he does have a World Series MVP award, a Gold Glove, a top-10 MVP finish and a 130 OPS-plus over the past two seasons.
“I love this city, I love everything about the Astros,” Peña said after the Astros’ wild-card round defeat. “Hopefully, I can be here long-term.”
Are the Astros open to making that happen, even if it means breaking with their long-held method? If not, making Peña available this winter is perhaps the clearest way to recoup maximum trade value.
Where to best deploy Altuve and Alvarez
The Astros committed to limiting Yordan Alvarez‘s time in left field this season. Alvarez, after an injury-marred 2025, made an effort to improve his durability and stay on the field. And the overall result was Alvarez producing an offensive season that will likely earn him AL Most Valuable Player honors.
Another effect was that Jose Altuve, who made 49 starts at DH in 2025, returned to second base full-time this season. And along with posting a 97 OPS-plus, his lowest mark in a full-length season since 2013, Altuve, 36, ranked last in defensive runs saved at second base, per Sports Info Solutions.
After a few years of declining defensive metrics, Altuve’s impact at this point is from his bat. It’s worth noting that last season Altuve produced a better OPS as a DH (.816) than when he played second base (.759) or left field (.742), the latter experiment aimed at improving Houston’s infield defense.
The obvious issue is that if Alvarez is getting the lion’s share of DH time, Altuve must play somewhere. Dividing it closer would require Alvarez to play more left field, where he accrued minus-five runs saved this season. The first inning of Game 2 of the wild-card series illustrated the downside.
Playing Alvarez more in left could help address the Astros’ pathetic outfield production this year. But after the season Alvarez achieved as a primary DH, is potentially compromising his offense sensible? These are Houston’s two franchise players, and the club must decide how to deploy them.
Option/non-tender/free agent decisions
The Astros hold a $13.35 million club option on Paredes for 2027. If they decline it, Paredes would simply go through the arbitration process again this offseason. MLB Trade Rumors projects Paredes to receive a $15 million salary in arbitration, so it’s possible Houston exercises the option. (It would become a mutual option if Paredes finishes in the top 10 in Most Valuable Player voting, which seems a long shot).
Pitcher Tatsuya Imai has opt-outs after each season of his three-year, $54 million deal. Imai, who posted a 4.93 ERA in 76⅔ innings in his first MLB season, would seem hard-pressed to find a comparable deal if he re-entered the free-agent market after those struggles and thus likely to opt in. He did not give a definitive answer when asked his plans after the Astros’ wild-card exit.
“The season just ended today,” Imai said, through interpreter Shio Enomoto. “And it’s not only my decision that decides that – I’ve got family, I’ve got an agency, I’ve got a lot of people that I can ask about it. So I’ll ask everybody else that helps me out and try to think about it.”
Houston has 11 players eligible for salary arbitration this winter. MLB Trade Rumors projects the group to receive a combined $57.2 million. It includes Paredes ($15m), Jeremy Peña ($13.1m), Hunter Brown ($6.8m), Yainer Diaz ($6.3m), Peter Lambert ($4.6m), Jake Meyers ($3.6m), Hayden Wesneski ($1.8m), Nick Allen ($1.8m), Taylor Trammell ($1.5m), Ronel Blanco ($1.4m) and Bennett Sousa ($1.3m).
Meyers, who lost his center field job and ended the season at Triple-A, might be a non-tender candidate. Trammell posted a 77 OPS-plus in 99 games this season, while Sousa struggled to a 6.00 ERA in 35 relief outings. Blanco posted a 6.68 ERA in eight outings after returning from elbow surgery but was a key part of Houston’s rotation in 2024.
The Astros’ impending free agents include relievers Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert and Enyel De Los Santos, outfielder Daulton Varsho and catcher Christian Vázquez. Abreu’s market will be interesting. One of the sport’s most dominant relievers from 2023-25, Abreu endured an awful start this season and regained a leverage role late. He expressed openness after the wild-card loss to a reunion with Houston.
“Of course, why not?” Abreu said. “We always have the doors open.”
Whether the Astros have interest remains to be seen. Okert, a durable and effective reliever for Houston the last two seasons, could generate some. Varsho struggled mightily after arriving at the trade deadline while dealing with a wrist ailment that required arthroscopic surgery. Vázquez was a reliable backup after signing a minor-league deal; the Astros will need a backup unless they deem a catching prospect ready.
How to create outfield production
Houston’s outfield proved a liability this season. Just one major-league team, the Reds, extracted a lower OPS from its outfielders. Twelve different players made at least one start in left field for the Astros. Eight started at least one game in center field. Cam Smith remained the regular right fielder but, posting an 87 OPS-plus, perhaps did not make the jump Houston hoped for in his second major-league season.
Addressing that lack of production seems like a priority this winter. Internal options appear suspect. The Astros had Joey Loperfido, Zach Cole and Zach Dezenzo on their 40-man roster and called up none amid their division race (Loperfido was activated for the wild-card round and did not play). Lucas Spence, who had a big late series against the A’s, appears to have surpassed all in the system hierarchy.
Several of Houston’s top-rated prospects – Kevin Alvarez, Logan Hughes, Ethan Frey – are outfielders but none have played above A-ball. Joseph Sullivan and Anthony Huezo finished the season at Double-A, and unless the Astros anticipate a big jump from any of their prospects next season, they might need to seek outside reinforcement this winter for their weakest position area.
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This article originally published at Astros offseason questions: Trade Jeremy Pena? How to fix a crowded infield? How to use Jose Altuve?.