One of the questions about the Astros team heading into 2026 is the “logjam” in the infield, which also affects the designated hitter spot.
The argument goes that with the Astros stuck with Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Carlos Correa and Isaac Paredes (5 starting infielders for 4 spots) they have too many infielders to juggle. While using the DH spot often with Yordan Alvarez and sometimes with Jose Altuve, and the limitations for using both those men in leftfield, you still may result in too many people.
But are there too many players?
Let me take a shot at spreading the wealth a bit. Here are the major players involved and how they could possibly share the load – shown with starts at each position.
| Player | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | LF | DH | Total |
| Walker | 122 | 20 | 142 | ||||
| Altuve | 117 | 20 | 20 | 157 | |||
| Pena | 147 | 2 | 149 | ||||
| Correa | 15 | 110 | 20 | 145 | |||
| Paredes | 40 | 45 | 52 | 20 | 157 | ||
| Alvarez | 70 | 80 | 150 | ||||
| Others | 72 | 72 | |||||
| Total | 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 |
Yes, there are some obvious questions here and some arguments – but with some adjustments, those questions can be addressed.
- Let’s say you would rather have Yordan more at DH and less in the field – we could make it 100 DH/ 50 LF – up the Others in LF and take 5 DH games away from Walker, Altuve, Correa, and Paredes.
- Maybe you want to see less of Altuve at 2B – well, then go ahead and add a few more starts in LF or reduce his overall starts.
- And so on….
- But remember that what you are looking at is idealistic. In 2025, Pena started only 125 games and Paredes 102 due to injuries. Traditionally, Correa starts much less than the 144 games he started in 2025, and Altuve, as recently as 2023, only started 90 games. Someone or someones will get injured, and you will need the other four infielders badly.
- And along those lines, your likely backups at infield spots – Mauricio Dubon and Ramon Urias are bye bye birdie in 2026.
So, while it would not break my heart for the Astros to trade Christian Walker this off-season (hands off Paredes) and have the four infielders that are left fill these spots and maybe have a Brice Matthews or such in the mix for a backup spot, it would also be OK if the Astros held on to all five as long as they do some consistent mixing and matching to get them all ABs and rest.
My solution to the “logjam” – what is yours?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
17 responses to “Astros’ 2026: Many ways to slice the pie”
Good early morning everyone. You’d think sleeping would be easier at this point in time. Not so, as many of us find out along the way.
Dan, that’s a very rational way to slice the onion. And we might well end up seeing a similar scenario. In fact I’d probably prefer to start the season this way rather than without Paredes, unless he brings a pitcher we’re looking for in the coming weeks. And that might well be the case if Alex B. does not sign up with the BoSox.
The biggest challenge would be at second. I don’t see Paredes tiptoeing around laterally or going deep into the hole and throwing a guy out at first. So along with Altuve, that would be our weakest link. But if little Nick ends up on the 26 man roster, he’ll get some eighth and ninth inning glove work, assuming the Astros manage a lead late in games.
And Steven would probably settle for 50 starts out in left field from Yordan in our cozy AC Park configuration. And then maybe my buddy Zach D. will get a solid look in the more spacious left fields around MLB. Have a great spring Zach!
And no doubt, Carlos Correa will see the IL at some point(s). And some other team may well lose their first baseman to injury during the spring, making Walker more attractive.
Santa has not even arrived yet. Lot’s to happen prior to the opener. Right now, our infield at least looks rather stable.
Victor seems a long shot at this point. And Salazar has but one option left. We need another catcher.
Our real woe remains our outfield. This is one area where Dana deserves real heat. Our mess out there does not seem to be getting better. Some young guy really needs to show up and bail his GM out.
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What a world. Two third baseman, an injury prone SS, the guy that might actually be the worst defensive player in the league at two different positions going back and forth between those two positions, and first baseman known for his bat/glove combination that just posted a negative dWar and a career worst season at the plate. I’m glad I’m not Brown.
Should have never traded for Correa. If someone put me in the drivers seat and said you have what you have today, fix it, I’m moving on from a bit of this roster. If I have to pay half of Walker’s salary, so be it. If the best I could do from the Mets what Luis Torrens, at least my back up catcher is solved.
I’m not debating Yordan for LF or DH, how many days, etc. I’m trading him to fix my pitching staff. Outside of Pena he is simply my most tradeable asset. It frees up DH for Altuve to settle in and play out his career there. I would probably sign Willi Castro to take a significant number of games at 2B. I guess Allen makes this roster but I would probably Salazar him, you know, when Cesar was the third catcher and played so little you forgot he was even on the roster at times. But man every time I would have a chance to have that glove out there in 6th or later with a lead I’m taking it.
So if I was making my chart something like –
Paredes – 130 1B, 20 2B Castro – 100 2B, 20 3B Pena – 155 SS Correa – 140 3B Diaz – 30 1B, 30 DH, 80 C Allen – 5-10 SS, 40 2B
But all of this is much different than what I think the Astros will do. I suspect Paredes will not see time at 2B. I just think Joe doesn’t operate with a chance button. He is a risk adverse investor, not a speculator. If the roster opens up the way it is set, Paredes will probably have to operate taking time on both corners and DH, which may work because Correa, Walker, Yordan and Altuve number exactly zero players that should play 155 games. If all 5 are healthy, can you split 3 positions and the DH between the 5 and still get everyone 135-140 starts? Probably, but it will require Yordan and Altuve to both see more than just a little time in LF.
But then again, I don’t trust Brown. Some of the rumors of his admin have been down right scary, and the Correa deal really hamstrung this team. I suspect a lot of talking out of both sides of his mouth goes on, and he will trade the one guy none of us want him to trade because no one else wants the crap sandwich contracts he is stuck with. If someone wanted to pay Sanchez 5-6M this year, he would already be gone. If anyone thought Walker was worth 40M he would already be gone. If anyone wanted to give you a starting pitcher for a light hitting, good glove CFer that can’t stay healthy, he would already be gone.
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Has Paredes given any indication about his willingness to play 1B? I just looked at Walker’s numbers from 2025 again trying to find some way to strategically deploy him and I don’t see it. My preference is to roll into the season with these five and a similar plan to what you suggest, but if Walker looks the same as last year I’d cut his starts regardless of salary and try to put him out there in the best matchups. Of course none of us know his psyche and how he would react to a reduced role either. Dave’s right, though. We need to find another catcher. I’d also kick the tires on Mike Tauchman, Pete Fairbanks, and maybe Aaron Civale for OF, RP, and SP options.
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So far this club has not fallen off the edge of the cliff. We won 90 and 87 over the past two years. I give the club a nod for grit. But I just don’t see a path in 2026 at this point and Steven has got me thinking even darker thoughts. I also look at Dana as a carnival barker. Our owner seemed to have such a light steady hand for years, but he has not helped since the 2022 Series. What happened?
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Thoughts
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Maldy new job
World Series Champion Catcher Joining Braves Front Office
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Unless Brice Matthews ends up as part of a trade for another middling arm, I’d probably commit to using him in Houston this year as much as possible. I have to presume he’ll be on the roster. He’s athletic. He’s a base stealer we need. He’ll play a better second base than our other offerings. The Astros kept him at second base pretty much all year in AAA ball. With just 3 errors, he was not booting the ball around regularly. And in a pinch, he can play a couple of other places too. Left?
Jeremy Peña gave us an .OPS of .715, .705 and .701 before breaking out in 2025. I’m figuring Matthews, with enough at bats, can give us at least those numbers, maybe even with a bit more pop.
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So how much Brice at 2B vs. Altuve?
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Dan, that depends on whether Steven can arrange for Yordan to get traded or if we can move Walker for even 8 million of his annual salary.
But sadly, the likeliest outcome is no more Isaac. You and I will then both be pissed off but it would open up some second base for Brice. And who knows, maybe the experts will do something wise and Walker will indeed go, leaving our best first base option at first base. I think Paredes would end up with a WAR not so much different than what he gave us at third.
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Well maybe my trade Yordan was a little tongue in cheek, or hasty.
Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez seems likely the only three people in the lineup capable of a .800 OPS. They are the only ones with power/on base ability every lineup needs. And Pena will need to duplicate .304 batting average to do it because he isn’t popping up to 60 walks next year.
I don’t know that Paredes would see time at 2B. If the Astros saw him as a guy capable of playing 2B, there wouldn’t even be any more discussion about it. No one would be hearing terms like logjam. We wouldn’t hear rumors about the Astros trying to trade Walker and finding no suitors. No talk of Altuve at 2B permanently next year. It would just be set. Altuve in LF 100 times next and Paredes at 2B 100 times solves everything in the logjam. But I think they think this would not be a good lineup in terms of run prevention, especially if Meyers is gone.
So yea, I think they trade Paredes because he brings the best return in terms of a younger, controllable pitcher. I am sure Paredes would be included in any rumored Peralta deal, but that is not a young, controllable pitcher, that is a win now and forget 2027 guy. To me, if Boston doesn’t resign Bregman, sending Paredes to Boston for a deal centered around Connelly Early is the move to make, especially if the rumors are true about Payton Tolle being in the deal. Personally, I would wonder how much confidence Boston has lost in Campbell, and see if Paredes is enough to get Early and Campbell, thats a combined 13 years of control for a high end starting prospect and your new second baseman.
Those are not names that can be discussed in a deal for anyone else we have. That’s why it will end up being Paredes that is traded.
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As for Brice – I am not particular high on Mr. Matthews. We play minor league games for a reason. But maybe.
Usually when I look at minor leaguers the first thing I do is scan their BB/K ratios at each level. Take Korey Lee for example – I remember when we thought he might end up the starting C in Houston. But when I scanned how his BB/K were declining at each level I knew this offense first catcher was not going be an offensive catcher. Brice actually gives you some hope in that area. He draws walks, and that has not changed as he climbed the ladder.
If the roster stays the same, and Brice Matthews gets the first crack at 2B, its probably not a worse idea than signing Brendan Rodgers. The problem is this time Joe doesn’t have Mauricio Dubon to point at in the dugout when Rodgers failed. He has Nick Allen, which would probably be worse than watching Matthews scuffle.
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Steven, yeah, Brice K’s and walks more. But he and Pena both have essentially the same ratio in that department in the minors.
And their everyday offensive stats are very similar comparing their minor league play.
Like you, I’d rather watch a more dynamic young scuffler in Brice, scoring from first on a double and giving us a potential 30 plus stolen base guy, than another version of Rodgers or a lefty bat that can’t hit.
Speaking of Pena for a second, we can’t yet assume that his most recent year at the plate is his new norm.
If Matthews figures out a way to hit enough, we’ll be counting down the Altuve contract if he’s not our DH before 2029 when Yordan is due to leave us.
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Normally I would have gagged on the thought of trading Yordan but we have to be honest with ourselves. Instead of hanging on to the ledge by our fingernails hoping for a miracle rescue, we should return to to the base camp and replenish our supplies for another time. Beginning to feel like “Old Mother Hubbard” who went to the cupboard and didn’t even find a bone for her dog. No , I don’t think Humpty Dumpty could help because the Kings horses and Men can’t seem to help either. Now that you know I’m an expert on Nursery rhymes, I agree with daveb7’s comments (once again).
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One concern I have (and I think I’ve voiced it before) is that Dana Brown and to a smaller extent Joe Espada, may make decisions based on thinking that they are on a very short leash. Sure, I want them to always be winning (a Glengary Glenross reference), but I think they might need to do a mini-rebuild. At least work to stock up on some good young players and maybe unload a few salaries.
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Dan, that’s why I was surprised when Crane did not pull the trigger and at least replace his GM.
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My interpretation of him not pulling the trigger is that Dana Brown is well aligned with Jim Crane unlike James Click. That is not very comforting as the Astros won a Championship with Click and have been falling off every year that Brown has been here (not all blame being with the GM on this – though).
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Steven, tongue in cheek for me too. But if a deal for Yordan brought back something special, I’ll be glad I had him on my side for so many great moments but would not be in any way offended.
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