Newly Acquired Slugger Has Been Team MVP for Astros So Far This Season

 The Houston Astros are starting to find their groove, and despite a wild offseason, this could still be one of the best teams in the American League.

This winter, the Astros underwent many changes that led people to believe that the title window was closed. Houston made a couple of bold decisions to let Alex Bregman walk in free agency and also traded away Kyle Tucker.

These two moves could have crippled the franchise, but the Astros have been performing quite well after a bit of a sluggish start.

With an excellent bullpen and strong starting rotation, the potential was there to have a good team in 2025 despite the moves. However, the team has been waiting for the lineup to get hot, which hasn’t quite happened yet.

Due to a couple of their stars struggling, Houston’s offense has been the area of the team holding them back a bit. However, they do have a couple of players that have performed well.

Who Has Been MVP for the Astros?

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about newly acquired Isaac Paredes being the team MVP so far for Houston.

“As good as Kyle Tucker has been for the Cubs, did the Astros already win the 3-for-1 trade that netted them Cam Smith, Hayden Wesneski, and Paredes? The latter has been the saving grace of this otherwise underachieving offense.”

Even though trading away Tucker felt like a massive loss at the time, the Astros might have already won this deal.

Getting three MLB players for what could be just a rental play is a huge win for Houston, and Paredes has been leading the way so far.

As an All-Star in 2024, the team knew that there was some skill there, but he has been better than advertised so far.

In 2025, he has slashed .267/.369/.475 with 11 home runs and 32 home runs. This production has been key for the team with his ability to play third base, and essentially be the replacement for Bregman.

Along with Paredes performing well, Jeremy Pena has been good for the offense. So far, it has been a couple of the young players leading the way, which is an encouraging sign.

Now, with Houston playing well as a team, they will hopefully get a couple of their veteran players to perform up to their capabilities.

Players like Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and Christian Walker haven’t played like they are capable of, resulting in a lot of struggles for the unit.

If these veterans can get going, the Astros might be able to once again contend for a title in 2025.