Perdomo signed an extension with Arizona and has 5 more years of control remaining and he’s only 25. I would be shocked if he was made available. Plus Arizona isn’t in a rebuild so would be looking for near-ready prospects or established controllable big leaguers. But if he was available the price would likely be astronomical and well beyond anything Houston could reasonably offer. Maybe Cam Smith, Brice Matthews, Spencer Arrighetti, Zach Dezenzo, AJ Blubaugh, and Christian Walker (with Houston paying 95% of Walker’s contract).
I’m not so sure about the Dylan cease hate for Houston. He has family here in Sugar Land/ Richmond and would surely take the money to play here.
Yeah that’s a pretty massive haul for Perdomo. A lot of risk with that trade, depending how high or low one may view Cam and Brice. I think I’d still pull the trigger if we were able to keep Blubaugh and get that 95% way lower on Walker’s contract. That would give us a core of 6 players between the ages of 24-30 with an OPS over .800: Pena Paredes Yordan Perdomo Correa Cole All of them are locked up through at least 2028. And still have Altuve and Yainer who can produce a .750+ OPS. Sign Merrill Kelly and one of Dylan Cease, Ranger Suarez, or Zach Gallen, and let’s roll.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/looking-for-a-match-in-a-brendan-donovan-trade.html Article lists Astros as not a fit because of the crowded infield with Walker, Altuve, Paredes, Pena, and Correa (not to mention Dubon and Urias), but I actually think Donovan would be the perfect complement to the roster. Can leadoff, crushes righties hitting lefthanded, and has defensive versatile. He could pair with Altuve to play 2B/LF everyday depending on who is on the mound for the Astros. Paredes would play across 3B, DH, and 1B, assuming Walker or Pena isn’t traded (Walker’s playing time would be reduced until the inevitable injury opened up a spot). The only thing that makes Donovan a potentially bad fit in my eyes is if the demand for him is really high which drives the prospect cost up. But I would swap Brice Matthews and Zach Cole for Brendan Donovan in a heartbeat. 2B Donovan 1B Paredes DH Alvarez 3B Correa LF Altuve SS Pena C Diaz RF Smith CF Meyers Bench: Walker, Caratini, Dubon, Melton
Funny because other sites have Brandon Lowe as a potential fit for the Astros. So if Lowe is an option then Donavan should be as well.
If the Marlins trade Alcantara, they will have zero guaranteed contracts on the books. They know this won’t fly so they will have to spend at least some money. So here’s a hypothetical: Astros get: SP Sergio Alcantara Marlins get: 1B Christian Walker P AJ Blubaugh P Alonzo Tredwell IF/OF Zach Dezenzo $4M ($2M each in 2026 and 2027) Astros get a ToR SP and shed Walker’s contract. The AAV $ is a wash. Miami gets a viable 1B (a position of need for them) plus 3 prospects that could be potential core pieces. I don’t know the details of Walker’s no trade clause which could complicate things but this trade seems like a pretty solid deal for both sides.
Astro get: 2B/LF Brandon Lowe SP Drew Rasmussen Rays get: CF Jake Meyers C Yainer Diaz Astros get: C Joey Bart Pirates get: OF Zach Dezenzo P Jose Fleury Astros get a potential star lefty bat to pairs well with Altuve defensively. They also get a controllable SP with ace upside. Rays get 2 players with profiles that fit what the Rays do and can potentially be developed into star players they can trade again later. This allows Houston to plug 2 big holes (lefty bat and ToR SP) without really dipping into their farm or their pocketbook, which makes it a good deal. Next to Brendan Donovan I can’t think of a better player than Lowe to pair with Altuve to allow him to play 2B and LF to minimize his defensive shortcomings. This trade would only add a net of about $5M to the Astros payroll. This is a roster I could really get excited about: SS Pena 1B Paredes DH Alvarez 3B Correa 2B Lowe LF Altuve RF Smith CF Cole C Bart Bench: Dubon, Salazar, Urias, Trammell SP: Brown, Cease, Rasmussen, Javier, Arrighetti, Pearson RP: Hader, Abreu, King, Sousa, Okert, McCullers, Ort
Maybe - but he was really solid down the stretch last season and he is an absolute horse that eats innings, when most of the Astros staff think 4 innings is a days work.
I see (and hear) the smoke, I really do. But I’m having a hard time believing The Astros will be able to afford a talent like Cease in MLB’s salary capless market. Already hearing the Cubs are interested and Houston’s not outbidding them, not to mention Cease has played in Chicago before. Might he want to return?
Theres several instances over the last ten years of Houston showing strong interest in a big free agent only to end up bowing out once the big boys start bidding. Thats what I expect to happen with Cease; once LA, NY, or Chicago step up with a 7 year offer (or even just a really strong 6 year offer), Houston will be out of the mix. That said, Houston outbid everyone for Josh Hader, mostly because “overpaying” for him still only went to $95M/5yrs. I think if Cease’s offers are limited to 5 years, Houston is a legitimate threat to sign him. But I put the odds of that as pretty low.
I’ve been drooling over ceases stuff for years. I really think the Astros staff can unlock his full potential. However I feel like there is a zero chance that he won’t need Tommy John in the next couple of years.
With Buxton open to waiving his no trade: Astros get: CF Byron Buxton SP Joe Ryan $5M/yr in 2026-2028 Twins get: 2B Brice Matthews C Walker Janek P Miguel Ullola P Anderson Brito OF Jacob Melton Twins get 5 of Houston’s top 8 prospects. Astros get a ToR SP and star CF. Houston could use trades of Walker, Meyers, Sanchez, and Urias to help bring in a few prospects to partially offset the damage done to the upper levels of the farm. Astros would be one more good SP away from having a stacked roster. CF Buxton 1B Paredes DH Alvarez 3B Correa SS Pena 2B Altuve C Diaz RF Smith LF Cole Bench: Dubon, Salazar, Dezenzo, Trammell SP: Brown, Ryan, Javier, Arrighetti, Pearson, McCullers RP: Hader, Abreu, King, Sousa, Okert, Ort, De Los Santos
Don't want a guy that has literally played over 100 games 3 times in 11 years and ks on average of 180 or so for a full season. Hard pass and rather have Meyers in CF.
The Cubs do not typically spend on long contracts, and they have Tucker as a free agent. The Cubs also are trying to keep their own free agent starter. Yes, Cease has a preference for Chicago - he is familiar with the city and was drafted by the Cubs. However - he also grew up in Houston, so he is familiar with the town. The Astros have the money to get Cease if they decide they want him. There are limitations to what the Astros will offer - like there was with Hader. I suspect that if the bidding for Cease doesn't get insane, the Astros will reach out and try to get a deal done. I don't agree with some that the odds are 50%, I think it is lower than that for sure - probably closer to 20% or less because the Astros have so many balls in play right now, and the deal they get done in trade or the free agent they get at the price they want will dictate how a lot of the off season will go from that point going forward.
