Houston Astros owner Jim Crane is cleaning house, but that does not mean he is going to authorize a rebuild.
On Monday, despite leading a weak American League West, the Astros “mutually parted ways” with general manager Dana Brown. That is a nice way of saying he was fired. The fourth-year GM was on an expiring contract and seemed unlikely to return in 2027.
Astros will part ways with Joe Espada, but he's just the beginning
Manager Joe Espada is also in the last year of his contract, and Crane won’t commit to him beyond this season. It seems certain that Espada will not return for a fourth season in 2027 even if the Astros reach the postseason. The Astros have a 0.5-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the division standings despite a 66-66 record.
The Astros have finished every full season with a winning record since 2015 and captured the franchise’s first two World Series titles in that span. Crane has often said the Astros will never rebuild again if he owns the team.
Yet it is hard to imagine the Astros standing pat following a lackluster season. Uncertainty around the GM situation muddles this exercise, but here are five Astros players who are good as gone.
Jeremy Pena
This could be a tough call for Brown’s successor because the fifth-year shortstop is an important player and part of franchise lore for being the MVP of both the 2022 ALCS and World Series as a rookie.
Yet Brown and agent Scott Boras never made progress in talks about a contract extension for Pena. Barring a shift in negotiations with a new GM, it seems certain the Astros will trade Pena rather than allow him to leave as a free agent after next season and get only a draft pick in return.
Pena’s trade value should be good as he is having a fine season. In just 82 games, he is hitting .286/.339/.477 with 15 home runs. Dealing Pena could also help the Astros restock a fallow farm system.
Issac Paredes
Paredes was one of the hottest names on the rumor mill last winter, but the Astros wound up keeping him. It has proven to be a prescient move as Paredes has filled in admirably for injured third baseman Carlos Correa, batting .261/.356/428 while hitting 17 homers in 125 games.
The Astros face a tough decision on Paredes. He has a $13.5-million club option for next season, but the Astros seem likely to decline it.
Correa will be back next year. If he is needed to move back to shortstop next season, the Astros can shift right fielder Cam Smith to third base.
Bryan Abreu
Though Abreu has had a subpar season by his standards, the right-handed setup man to closer Josh Hader has been a top-flight reliever during his eight-year career, spent entirely with the Astros. Abreu has a 2.85 ERA in 369 appearances, though that number has risen to 4.17 in 52 games this year.
Abreu is a free agent and figures to be pursued by many teams, especially ones looking for a closer. With Hader under contract for two more years, the Astros won’t pay closer-type money to Abreu.
Jake Meyers
Meyers is eligible for salary arbitration for the final time this winter and is a strong non-tender candidate, especially since he was demoted to Triple-A Sugar Land earlier this month after the Astros acquired Gold Glove center fielder Daulton Varsho from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline.
The 30-year-old Meyers was hitting just .213/.268/.326 with three homers in 54 games, not providing much return on his $3.55-million salary. The Astros don’t have an heir apparent in center field, but it is difficult to imagine Meyers filling that spot next year.
Ryan Weiss
The Astros signed the 29-year-old right-hander to a one-year, $2.6-million contract over the winter after he won 16 games in the KBO. However, the Astros outrighted Weiss off the 40-man roster in early May after he had a 0-3 record and 7.62 ERA in nine games, two starts.
The Astros hold a $5-million club option on Weiss in 2027. They obviously won’t exercise it.
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