Insider Suggests Astros Could Dangle Three Stars in Offseason Trade Talks

If Paredes makes a full recovery -- something that is unclear right now based on his murky timeline -- then that would create a logjam in the infield. With Correa now in Houston for the long haul, Paredes would either have to move to second base -- where Jose Altuve is likely to slot -- or take over at first base -- where Christian Walker is under contract for two more years.

Because of that, Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required) believes there's a chance the trio of Paredes, Pena and Walker all get shopped this winter to alleviate the jam the infield currently has.

"It's hard to imagine the Astros will threaten that by asking Correa to move positions again. It leaves an uncertain future for third baseman Isaac Paredes and, perhaps, shortstop Jeremy Pena and first baseman Christian Walker. A case could be made to dangle any of them in offseason trade talks," he wrote.

That would be interesting, especially because Houston just tried to extend Pena this offseason before he rejected their initial offer and hired Scott Boras to become his agent; a sign that suggests he's already thinking about hitting the open market.

The Astros were not shy about moving Kyle Tucker this past winter when they believed they weren't going to be able to re-sign him after this season, opting to get players and prospects back instead of seeing him depart in free agency for nothing.

A return for Pena could be massive if they do shop him, and it's something Brown might consider. However, that could also be a bad look when it comes to the fanbase, and there's not an internal shortstop who projects to be better than their current star right now.

Moving Paredes would be interesting, especially since it's unclear how he's going to look when he does make his return from this injury. That likely would cause teams to be hesitant when it comes to acquiring him, lowering the possible return the Astros could get that might make them walk away from a potential deal. But if the primary goal is to clear up the infield logjam, then that's something they might consider.

Then there's Walker, the high-priced offseason addition who has not lived up to expectations this year and is an aging first baseman who has seen both his power and defense decline in 2025. If Houston was able to offload him to someone, they likely would do that and move Paredes to first. But it's not a given that a team will be interested in Walker at this stage of his career, so it feels like he has the worst odds of getting moved.

There's also a chance none of this trio gets traded during the winter and all of them are back in 2026. But with a crowded infield all of a sudden, don't be surprised if there is a something done to clear some space.

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