The Braves are heading into the offseason with shortstop still sitting near the top of the to-do list, and MLB Trade Rumors has already thrown out two names that fit the bill: Otto Lopez of the Marlins and Jeremy Peña of the Astros.
Atlanta had hoped Ha-Seong Kim would lock down the spot with a successful season and make the decision easier, but that plan never came together. Mauricio Dubón could be brought back as part of the answer, but the fit there is a little awkward. His defense, the piece that stands out, would be better served in the outfield and in a true super-utility role than by parking him at one position that may not be his best defensive home.
That leaves the Braves looking for a cleaner solution, and Peña is the more interesting of the two possibilities. MLBTR laid out why the Astros would even entertain the idea, noting that Peña is coming off the kind of season that makes a trade hard to imagine on its face. He’s an All-Star with Gold Glove defensive talent and high-end offensive contributions, and the situation has a familiar feel for Houston after the Kyle Tucker conversation.
Here’s how MLBTR described the Astros’ thinking:
“Given his excellence, it’s fair to ask why the Astros would consider trading him at all. They’re not entering any sort of rebuild, after all.
However, this is the exact same situation the Astros encountered with Kyle Tucker. Peña, like his former right field teammate was in the 2024-25 offseason, is an All-Star with Gold Glove defensive talent and high-end offensive contributions.
Both are represented by agencies that rarely consider extensions for star players, however - Excel Sports Management for Tucker and the Boras Corporation for Peña.
The Braves are a perfect match on paper, but the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies and Rays all make varying degrees of sense. Even teams with a set option at shortstop could consider jumping into the fray, as Peña is one of the most talented players in the game at his position. A deal isn’t a slam-dunk, but teams will try and the Astros will likely hear them out.”
Lopez, meanwhile, is also in the mix as a possible target, though the source of the rumblings makes clear that a trade within the division, and especially one involving Atlanta, is a tough sell.
For the Braves, Peña is the name that actually changes the conversation. He would give them a real answer at shortstop, and any deal would almost certainly come with a significant price tag because Houston still has team control and isn’t operating like a club looking to tear it down. But if Atlanta does get serious, it would likely mean the club believes the return justifies the cost and opens the door to the kind of long-term stability that has been missing at the position.
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