I think they'd be crazy to trade Paredes after what he showed them he's capable of in an Astros uniform. I have no clue what their defensive gameplan will be to keep Yordan, Altuve, Pena, Correa and Paredes in the lineup, but I give Dana Brown enough credit that he and his staff have some kind of gameplan for it. Maybe they see Paredes as the future 1st baseman instead? He's played the position a good amount and while Walker is elite defensively there and I'm thrilled with his offensive resurgence as of late, I could easily see them moving Walker to the bench. He'll be 35 next season and 36 at the end of his contract. Another point worth making is that the only way this is an issue is if all of these guys are healthy at the same time. Could be that Brown is banking on at least one of these guys being banged up, which has definitely been the case this season.
Probably the fact that he’s done it before, and more than a couple times. but yeah- no way this year and probably not ever again.
Paredes is clearly not going to play 2B this season. But what about his play at 3B prior to the injury would make anyone think he couldn’t play 2B with an entire offseason to re-acclimate? Hes not gonna be stellar defensively but he will be fine there next season if that’s what they decide to do, especially considering the odds of him, Walker, Correa, and Alvarez alll being healthy simultaneously for the entire season are very low.
They are not trading Paredes. He is an absolute steal at his salary for 2 more years. Correa will play second if asked, but I think they give Paredes a shot there or LF. Having Correa and Pena at SS and 3b and Walker at first gives you a little lee-way at 2nd and Paredes will be serviceable. The bigger concern is what are they going to do with Altuve who needs to be a DH.
I think having Dubon and Urias available as defensive subs on the infield and Dubon and Sanchez available as defensive subs in LF really mitigate the risk of having Paredes at 2B and Altuve in LF. Another factor is that Framber, as good as he is, requires a really good defensive infield to maximize his value, so replacing him with a more neutral pitcher will take some defensive pressure off of 2B. We’ll see what Houston does. But I’m not worried about the offense or defense next season even if they just stand pat. The only questions for next season are the #2-4 spots in the rotation and the 6th-7th inning relievers; seeing Javier and Ort last night was something to dream on in those roles.
Every year, recently, we have seen how " you can never have too much pitching" has been proven to be true over and over. And, yes, I have been among those stumping to trade away pitching and have learned a tough lesson. But we have seen serious injuries to position players as well. You have to have luck to win and depth helps reduce the impact of bad luck. Walker and Altuve will be 35 and 36, respectively, in 2026. Both have had oblique injuries. The compartment thing to do is give them regular time off. Correa and Alvarez have both been susceptible to injury frequently throughout their careers. The smart thing would be to keep everyone and focus on a plan to keep them all healthy and rested along with backups if/when that doesn't happen.
I’m not 100% sure he will get his athleticism back. I don’t know that I trust his range. Hes been very good at 3B.
He will have well below average range at 2B. He will probably be a below average overall defensive 2B. But he will be markedly better at 2B than Altuve has been over the last 2 seasons and his bat more than justifies his spot. The Astros may very well have a different plan. It wouldn’t shock me at all if they trade Paredes or Walker this offseason. And I would be totally fine with that because I trust the front office. I’m just saying if they end up rolling with Paredes at 2B, it’ll be ok.
Bolded are both excellent points. Teams with aging and injury-prone players MUST have depth, both on their bench and in AAA.
I would love to keep them all, even Framber. I still think extending Pena should be our no. 1 priority even if it means trading Alvarez. 6 years of Pena and Correa playing defense on the left side of the infield and competent offense is invaluable and we don’t have anyone close in the minors at SS or 3B. DH is the easiest position in baseball to replace. Alvarez would be an all-time great if he could stay on the field, so I would love to keep him if Crane is willing to keep him, Correa, and extend Pena. No player is untouchable in my opinion. The goal has been to make us WS competitors for decades and never go through a break it all down re-build ever again. It is the philosophy that Luhow brought to the team and the Astros have adhered to it for the most part. My take on most untouchable of our star players: Pena - no replacement in sight Brown - young, Cy-young pitcher with mechanics made to last for years. He is one of two pitchers in the league I would sign for 8 years if necessary. I see a Verlander clone. Cam Smith - Future core star Paredes - one of the best contract to worth in the league Diaz - potential to be best offensive catcher in the league Correa - leadership and great 3B, but injury prone Alvarez - one of the best hitters in the league but plays DH and injury prone
You’re putting a lot of weight on 2025. Pena is a career league average hitter (106 wRC+). Alvarez is a hall of fame hitter who was healthy/available for 90%+ of the games over the previous 4 seasons. Paying Pena now is a heavy gamble not just that his 2025 outlier of a season will be his new normal, but also that he will stay healthy into his mid-30s. Trading Alvarez would be the ultimate sell-low move. If I were Dana Brown, I see if I can buy-low on Paredes and/or Cam Smith. Those are the only 2 extensions I would seriously pursue.
83% for 4 previous years. Career: 60% including this year. I love Alvarez’s offense. If he played LF primarily and could stay healthy I would say he is untouchable. I wouldn’t trade him as a DH, unless the return was about twice what we got for Tucker. The fact that Altuve will require playing most of the time he is not injured and is not going anywhere, complicates things. In order to insure another decade of competing one of Pena or Alvarez has to go to get a haul of prospects. Pena will be harder to replace in my opinion, but I get your point. I don’t think we are selling low if Alvarez rakes the rest of the year. If it is a given we are not going to extend Pena, then it comes down to the packages you could get for either one. Maybe I’m being stupid, but Alvarez’s hands and knees make me extremely nervous.
From 2018-2021 Aaron Judge played in 71% of the available games, and 2021, where he played in 148 games, boosted that number. From 2018-2020 he played in about 63% of the available games. And like Yordan, his value is mostly as a hitter, even though it is definitely a plus that he can play multiple outfield positions. How idiotic would the Yankees have been to trade him at that time because he couldn’t stay healthy? Yordan is one of the only people in the league that is in the same stratosphere as Judge as a hitter. Trading him would be ridiculous.
Altuve has earned every bit of his playing time this season. I would not reduce his playing time as long as he maintains his value at the plate. He will be sitting out games soon enough, no reason to look for trouble he is not having.
83% is games played, which doesn’t include games he was available but wasn’t in the lineup (scheduled rest days).
It’s a valid point. I don’t want to trade Alvarez or Pena. Most of my argument is about being only able to keep one. Alvarez is the bigger risk to me and adds no defensive value. I guess you could play it out through ‘27, but you are going to lose a tone of trade value with either one. Most of the fan base was against trading or letting Correa, Springer, and Tucker walk. I’m more in the Luhow camp of competing for decades than going all in while you have a chance and our minor league is nothing to write home about.
On the flip side, they’ve already competed for decades. The business side of the Astros suggest that the fan base no longer overwhelmingly supports a team that is just “winning” (solid, but not world-beaters). They also saw a decline in attendance last year (with a slightly better team) so the fan base doesn’t simply always connect to a star like Tucker vs. stars like Bregman/Correa/Altuve/Springer. Crane’s deadline move this year was every bit as much a benefit to the business side as well as the team itself (apparently they inquired about him well before the Paredes injury made it nearly a mandate). They’ve seen an attendance bump, there are walls of Correa merchandise at every store. (And this is far exceeding the combined sales of Paredes/Smith/Hunter/Framber sales). Pena is at that fan favorite level as well. Altuve will be done (or near done) in 2-3 years. Correa will be soon after. Pena (while older) could continue to be that face (with Yordan, presuming health)… and then you see where this team is in 2030? That would be 15+ years of true anticipation every season.
Paredes at 2B 2021 - 10g - 0.978 Fld% - Age 22 2022 - 43g - 0.992 Fld% - Age 23 2023 - 14g - 1.000 Fld% - Age 24 2024 - 0g 2025 - 0g
