The Astros keep running into the same problem in different spots: the glove work has slipped, and it’s showing up at some of the most important places on the field.
José Altuve has taken the biggest hit. Over the last three seasons, he has posted -20 Fielding Run Value, split between second base, where he piled up 2,823 innings, and left field, where he logged 371 innings in the first half of the 2025 season before that experiment fell apart. Behind him, catcher Yainer Díaz has also landed in the defensive red, with -12 FRV, -9 Catching Runs and -11 Framing across 2,566 innings, a stretch that puts him near the bottom of the game in framing.
There are other dents in the armor, too. Isaac Paredes has gone for -3 FRV, Jeremy Peña for -2 and Nick Allen for -1 over that same span.
Paredes’ line is not as alarming, since his defense in 2026 was around league average. Peña is a different story, because he’s the starting shortstop and Houston can’t afford steady regression at a position that anchors the infield.
Allen’s slide is just as frustrating for another reason: he was supposed to be the defensive specialist, and now he’s below average with range issues.
Left field has been part of the mess as well, and that is where Mauricio Dubón starts to make sense again.
Houston’s decision to let him go still looks hard to explain. Dubón has long been one of the most complete defenders around, and he proved it with the Astros, winning Gold Gloves in 2023 and 2025. He also showed his value with the Atlanta Braves, where he settled in as a useful utility piece.
With Houston, Dubón was the only left fielder to finish with a positive Fielding Run Value, putting up +2 across his last two seasons with the club in 2024 and 2025. Over 580 innings, his range stood out, even if the bat was quieter in left field.
His offense in that role dipped to a 72 wRC+, but the underlying contact picture stayed fairly steady, with a .283 BABIP and 0.6 Def, tied for the best defensive contribution with Chas McCormick.
What really separates Dubón, though, is that he can be plugged in almost anywhere. He has shown he can handle at least seven positions efficiently. His strongest defensive season came in 2025, when he put up 17 FRV with the Astros while appearing at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, center field and right field.
In 2026, Dubón finished with 4 FRV and spent most of his time at shortstop and left field, playing 457 innings at short and 663 in left. The postseason brought both the good and the bad: he made some brilliant plays, but he also had a costly error at shortstop, dropping a fly ball by Max Muncy that allowed the Los Angeles Dodgers to tie Game 4 of the NLDS 1-1 in the top of the second inning. Atlanta went on to lose 4-1 and was eliminated.
That mistake was only one piece of a rough stretch for the Braves, who were shut down offensively and managed just two runs over their final two games against the Dodgers.
Now Dubón is heading toward free agency at the end of the season, and that leaves Atlanta with a decision to make. If he does reach the market, the Astros should be ready to revisit a familiar answer to a familiar problem.
His defense can clean up a lot of issues, and his bat still has enough punch to punish fastballs. Over the last two seasons, he has hit .262/.308/.382 with 49 doubles, three doubles, 19 home runs, 106 RBIs and 109 runs scored.
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