HOUSTON — The Houston Astros have an imbalanced lineup and untenable infield, two facts accentuated on a frigid Saturday afternoon at Daikin Park, where general manager Dana Brown did not sound like someone satisfied with the current construction of his roster.
“We’re still having conversations about certain moves that we could make to make the team better,” Brown said during the team’s annual FanFest. “We’re going to continue to grind all the way up until spring training and maybe even in spring training. We don’t want to leave any stone unturned for making this team a better team.”
Rival teams are expressing interest in “a lot of our players,” Brown said. Outfielder Jesús Sánchez is among them, according to league sources, as is first baseman Christian Walker.
Neither would fetch a bigger return than Isaac Paredes, the pull-happy third baseman displaced from his position after Carlos Correa’s arrival during last August’s trade deadline.
Correa will remain the team’s everyday third baseman while All-Star Jeremy Peña is anchored next to him at shortstop. On Saturday, manager Joe Espada reiterated that Jose Altuve will reprise his role as the team’s primary second baseman while Yordan Alvarez “will play some left field, but the majority of his games will be at DH.”
“We have to be creative,” Espada said, “and I have to find ways to get them all in the lineup and keep everyone healthy.”
Whether that is possible is a legitimate question. Insurance against injuries is necessary and players will need an occasional off day, but finding everyday at-bats for all of Alvarez, Altuve, Paredes, Peña and Correa feels impossible.
At best, Paredes and Walker appear headed for a timeshare at first base. The two men are owed approximately $39 million in 2026 — a questionable allocation of resources for a club already mindful of its proximity to the luxury tax. That team officials continue to extol Paredes’ plate discipline and perfect approach for Daikin Park, but can’t guarantee him daily playing time, only reflects the uncertainty around this roster construction.
Neither Walker nor Paredes was among the 24 Astros players who attended Saturday’s festivities.
The Boston Red Sox are among multiple teams interested in Paredes, according to multiple league sources. No deal is believed to be close — and Brown did not address Paredes’ availability on Saturday — but Brown’s desire for balance only amplifies a potential fit between Boston and Houston.
Last season, only the Los Angeles Angels received fewer plate appearances from a left-handed hitter than the Astros. Backup catcher Victor Caratini, now a member of the Minnesota Twins, took 324 of Houston’s 670 left-handed plate appearances.
The potential for a full season from Alvarez could help. So would contributions from rookie outfielder Zach Cole. Without being prompted, team officials have praised Cole all offseason and hope he can carve out a regular role in Houston’s unsettled outfield. On Saturday, though, Brown still seemed in search of more.
“If we have an opportunity where we can add a left-handed bat, I think that would be more of interest as opposed to just saying, ‘Hey, we want to get an outfielder,’” Brown said.
“I think it goes along with what I said about potentially getting more left-handed bats in our lineup. If that opportunity presents itself and we can make some sort of trade to do that, it would be intriguing for us to make the team better.”
The Red Sox have two expendable, left-handed hitting outfielders: Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu. Multiple team sources have indicated Abreu is more intriguing to the Astros than Duran, who will make $7.7 million next season and does not have Abreu’s defensive aptitude or accolades.
Abreu, a former Astros farmhand, will make the league minimum next season and has four years of team control remaining. Abreu is the two-time reigning Gold Glove winner in right field.
Abreu won the 2025 award over finalist Cam Smith, Houston’s incumbent right fielder who has not been guaranteed a roster spot headed into spring training — perhaps another indicator of more moves to come.
“Nothing personal,” Smith said on Saturday. “It’s a business. I’m never complacent with where I’m at. I’m always going to work. That’s nothing new to me. I’m ready.”
Carlos Correa has met with Joe Espada multiple times to discuss what can improve within the Astros’ clubhouse. (John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)
Carlos Correa met his manager for “three or four” lunches this offseason, all in hopes of addressing some shortcomings Correa saw within the Astros’ clubhouse after his acquisition last August.
Among the most glaring concerns, according to Correa: a lack of any plan to prevent fatigue or injury across the six-month season. Twenty-eight Astros spent time on the injured list last season.
According to both Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs, no team lost more potential value to injuries in 2025 than Houston. As a result, the team’s eight-year postseason streak ended.
“We had way too many injuries last year and I feel like when I got here, people did not have the routine they needed to have in order for them to be able to withstand the whole season,” Correa said. “For the young guys and the people who had not been doing this for a while or had not been through injuries in the past, it’s easy to get carried away and go through the motions on a daily basis.”
After the season, Houston did not renew the contract of longtime head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall and, according to Brown, took a “deep look” at the club’s return-to-play procedure. Brown has refused to elaborate further on what other changes, if any, were made.
Asked whether any of those presumed changes coincided with his concerns, Correa deferred to the front office, but also put the onus on players themselves to better understand the preparation needed to play a 162-game season.
“From what I’ve been talking to the players, it’s about focusing on our bodies,” Correa said. “If we stay on the field, with the talent that we have, we’re going to be in a good spot. It’s tough when you have that many guys on the IL at different times, trying to get the rhythm when they come back. When you add all those games up, we ended up missing the playoffs by one game.”
Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti said he feels “ahead of schedule” in his comeback from an elbow injury that sidelined him for the second half of last season.
“I’m really optimistic going into camp that I’ll be able to hit the ground running, be on par with the rest of the group and just still be in that competition fighting for my spot,” Arrighetti said.
Arrighetti threw just 35 1/3 innings across seven starts during a star-crossed 2025 season he’s chalked up to “bad luck, bad timing and a whole list of things that are out of my control.” In April, Arrighetti fractured his right thumb while protecting himself from a wayward fly ball in batting practice. He made five starts in August before being shut down with what the Astros described as “right elbow inflammation.”
Arrighetti said he did not throw for eight weeks following his final placement on the injured list. Another eight weeks of build-up followed, during which Arrighetti said “the elbow felt really comfortable the whole way.” He’s already thrown seven bullpen sessions this winter.
According to Arrighetti, imaging of his elbow only showed “inflammation and some other nasty stuff going on.” His ulnar collateral ligament remained intact and “there was never concern on my end I was going to have surgery,” Arrighetti said.
Presuming Arrighetti’s winter remains setback-free, he should be a full participant in spring training and, perhaps, ready for Opening Day. Whether that will be with the major-league team is a legitimate question. Houston spent its offseason fortifying its rotation by signing Tatsuya Imai and Ryan Weiss, along with acquiring Mike Burrows. Competition for the final rotation spot will be intense this spring.
“I love it. I’m ready,” Arrighetti said. “I’m excited to see those guys, too. I think no matter whose name is getting called this year, we’re going to have a great chance to win the game. I feel like the guys we brought in this year, trades and free-agent signings, those guys are dawgs. They’re nasty. I’m excited to get out there and compete with them.”