Coming off a disappointing 2026 season, the Houston Astros are heading into a winter of change. The front office is already in transition, with the club firing its general manager and manager, and that shift opens the door to a very different kind of offseason for the franchise.
That’s why the trade market is worth watching closely in Houston, even if some names remain off-limits. Yordan Alvarez, for one, does not appear to be going anywhere. Jeremy Pena, though, is another story.
Fansided.com MLB insider Robert Murray pointed to Pena as a strong trade candidate this offseason, and the logic runs straight through a familiar Astros pattern. Houston has done this before with Kyle Tucker, and Murray sees the same kind of setup developing again.
"But this is a situation similar to Kyle Tucker, where a star player is nearing the end of his deal," Murray writes. "And Pena happens to be represented by Scott Boras, who is known for not doing extensions and preferring his players establish their values in free agency."
Pena is not on the block in the sense that Houston has to move him at all costs. He carries real value, and if the return doesn’t meet the bar, the Astros could simply hold onto him.
Still, the possibility is very real. Pena is only under club control through the 2027 season, and that window could even shrink if there is a lockout. With the Astros coming off a disappointing 2026 campaign, despite winning the AL West, a seller’s approach would make sense.
Houston can keep pieces like Alvarez and Hunter Brown while making a tough call on a player who is entering the final year of his deal. Pena figures to draw plenty of interest, and that combination of timing, precedent, and representation makes him an obvious name to watch this offseason.
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