The Astros have reached the point in the offseason where the front office has to start making hard calls, and two club options sit at the center of that conversation for 2027.
Houston is operating without a general manager right now after Dana Brown was fired earlier this season, leaving owner Jim Crane in charge of baseball operations. It’s still unclear whether a new GM will be hired before or after the World Series, but the need is obvious. Once the offseason officially opens, the Astros will have five days after the World Series to decide on the options attached to two players: one bat and one arm.
The easier decision appears to be Isaac Paredes.
Paredes nearly got dealt before the 2026 season began, but the Astros ended up keeping him - and that choice paid off. The third baseman closed his second year in Houston with 25 home runs, 94 RBIs and a .262 average. Compared with his first season with the club, he added five homers, drove in 41 more runs, drew 21 more walks and finished with 27 doubles, up from 17.
He wasn’t an All-Star this time after earning that honor in 2025, but his value showed up in other ways. Paredes posted a 4.0 WAR, his best mark since his 4.2 WAR season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023.
He also played in 155 games, the most he has ever logged in a season. Spotrac lists Houston’s club option at $13.4 million for 2027, and that number looks reasonable for a player who delivered that kind of production, even with his defense still coming and going.
The tougher one to justify is Ryan Weiss.
Weiss, a 29-year-old right-hander, pitched in nine games for Houston this season and finished with a 7.62 ERA over 26 innings and a 2.115 WHIP. Most of his year came in Triple-A, but the results there were not much better. In 22 games for the Triple-A club, he put up a 5.42 ERA in 76.1 innings, allowed 83 hits and nine home runs, and posted a 1.59 WHIP.
Spotrac says Weiss has a $5 million club option for 2027 after making $2.6 million in 2026. Based on what he showed in both places this year, that looks like a steep price for Houston to pay. The Astros need bullpen help from pitchers who are ready to contribute in the majors, not a pricey bet that could still wind up back in Triple-A.
In Other News...
Astros Trade Looks Different After What Pittsburgh Got Out Of It
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For Houston, the deal was always going to be judged in part by how the other side fit together, and Pittsburgh has clearly gotten production from all three pieces. Lowe is headed for free agency, which only adds another layer to how the move is viewed, but Montgomery is the real long-term piece here since he remains under team control through 2030. That gives the Pirates a different kind of value than a one-season rental, and it is the sort of return that can change the way a trade is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Left Field Problem Looks Even Worse After One Former Move
The Astros left field search never really found an answer this season, and Dustin Harris ended up becoming another reminder of how unsettled that spot was. After brief stints with the White Sox and Houston, the outfielder resurfaced with San Diego and looked much more comfortable there, flashing better all-around play while giving the Padres another useful option in a crowded outfield mix.
What makes it sting for Houston is not just that Harris settled in elsewhere, but that his improvement came while the Astros continued to cycle through possibilities and never solidify the position. San Diego benefited from the depth, Houston did not, and the gap showed up in the standings as the Astros fell short of the playoffs with left field still lingering as one of the rosters biggest unresolved issues. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Face A Real Bullpen Decision With Steven Okert
Steven Okert gave the Astros exactly the sort of steady bullpen season they were hoping for, and he did it in a way that made him hard to ignore down the stretch. He finished with a career-best 2.3 bWAR and a 2.13 ERA across 68 appearances, then got even more effective in the second half while proving he could handle both left-handed and right-handed hitters.
Now Houston has to decide how much value to place on that kind of reliability as it sorts through its bullpen plans for the offseason. Okert has positioned himself to remain a key part of the relief mix, but the Astros are also weighing other left-handed options in free agency, which makes this one of the more interesting calls on the roster front. [Read more 🡒]