The Astros are heading into a stretch where the front office picture is still unsettled, and the roster could look different too. After Dana Brown was moved out in late August, Houston finished the regular season with Joe Espada still running the club, then rode a weak American League West Division to the playoffs before the run ended quickly with a sweep by the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card round. Espada is gone now as well, leaving the Astros needing both a general manager and a field manager for the 2027 season and beyond.
Whoever steps in will inherit a team with several gaps to fill. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report pointed to one possible route for Houston to attack its biggest issue by dealing from a place of strength.
The Astros entered 2026 with plenty of infield depth, but the pitching staff was shaky almost immediately, and injuries to the starting rotation hit on the team’s first road trip in April. That problem lingered all year.
Even with those setbacks, Houston still managed 81 wins and edged the Texas Rangers to take the division. Hunter Brown carried the top of the rotation, but the club clearly needs another starter to slot in behind him. Miller suggested the Astros could use one of their infielders to solve that problem, either by bringing back pitching help in a trade or by opening up money to sign a starter.
The three names Miller floated were Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker, all of whom are free agents after the 2027 campaign. Of that group, Pena looks the safest to stay put. He remains a likely long-term fit at shortstop, which makes him the obvious name to keep out of the conversation.
That leaves Paredes and Walker as the likeliest trade candidates. Paredes had already been part of trade rumors last winter, while Walker’s name surfaced more at the August deadline, though Dana Brown ultimately kept him. If Houston decides the rotation is the priority, moving one of those two would make the most sense.
Starting pitching is not the only item on the Astros’ offseason list. They could also use an outfielder with some pop.
But if the goal is to strengthen the rotation, the path is clear enough: deal from the infield surplus and go get a No. 2 starter behind Hunter Brown. With the AL West likely requiring more than 81 wins next season, that move could matter a lot.
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