"The Astros have seemingly had too many infielders all winter but general manager Dana Brown has consistently downplayed the possibility of a trade, doing so again this week. Privately, the club may be less certain about holding everyone. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that some people within the team are questioning the viability of carrying everyone on the roster and that a trade is becoming more realistic."
"Last year, the Astros had Isaac Paredes at third base and Christian Walker at first, at least for the first half of the season. Paredes suffered a significant hamstring strain in July, which prompted the Astros to acquire Carlos Correa from the Twins. Going into 2026, they project to have Jeremy Peña at shortstop, Jose Altuve at second base, Correa at third and then either Walker or Paredes at first."
"Walker is coming off a bit of a down year and is owed $20MM annually for another two years, making him hard to trade, especially since he's about to turn 35. Paredes would have value but his lower salary is appealing to an Astros club looking to limbo under the luxury tax. He'll make $9.35MM this year, less than half of Walker."
The Astros entered the offseason with an excess of infielders, creating a roster and playing-time dilemma. Publicly, the front office has downplayed trade chances, but internal concerns about carrying everyone make a trade more realistic. Projected infield alignment for 2026 is Jeremy Peña at shortstop, José Altuve at second, Carlos Correa at third, and either Christian Walker or Isaac Paredes at first. Altuve in the outfield is viewed as suboptimal and Paredes has not played second base since 2023. Walker's age and $20MM salary make him difficult to move, while Paredes' lower salary fits luxury-tax plans.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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