The Houston Astros finished 17th among 30 Major League teams in OPS from their catchers, and 21st in fWAR with the combination of Yainer Diaz and Christian Vazquez, who recorded 1.7 fWAR.

Diaz has not met expectations over the last two seasons, during which he has seen his fWAR fall to 3.3 after producing 5.4 between 2023 and 2024. He is one of the worst baserunners in the league -- finishing in the 28th percentile -- and in 2026 he finished with a negative mark of -5 in Fielding Run Value and Catching Runs, respectively.

Adding to that lack of stability is his baffling .103/.133/.103 line, without extra-base hits, with one RBI, 10 strikeouts, and one walk in the postseason since 2023. On the other hand, Vazquez finished his contract and became a free agent, leaving a void at a key position, especially on the defensive side.

The organization also has Cesar Salazar and Collin Price, while Jason Schiavone and Walker Janek represent developmental alternatives, but that does not eliminate the urgency the Astros face, as they will have to find a catcher in free agency.

Why Austin Hedges Could Be a Good Option for Houston

Assuming the Astros will once again trust that Diaz can make his offense resurface and take a step forward on defense, which has been quite the opposite so far, Hedges could fit perfectly as a backup catcher who can replace the value Vazquez provided.

His offensive improvements in 2026 were an interesting point, going from a .161/.250/.277 line in 2025 to .247/.325/.377, with six home runs in 247 plate appearances. As you can see, Hedges’ batting average increased by 86 points and his OPS went from .527 to .702, but he also reduced his strikeout rate from 23.9% to 18.2%. It is not a performance that exceeds the league-average level of offensive production, but it adds value above Vazquez’s recent production.

However, it is worth asking whether Hedges became too concerned with his offense, since his improvements came together with a concerning regression in what has been his strongest side throughout his career: defensive work. After contributing +14 defensive runs in 2025, Hedges finished 2026 with -2 Catching Runs, the first negative mark in 12 seasons. His framing also declined from +11 to +2 runs, while his throwing went from +4 to -2 and his blocking finished at -1.

From 2016 until now, over the span in which Statcast has recorded FRV, Hedges leads all catchers in baseball with +87 in 6,371 innings and, precisely, Vazquez, the player he could replace with the Astros, appears in second place on the list with +65. In that sense, his track record of success is guaranteed, but what suggests that this sudden decline may have been temporary was Hedges’ improvement, with +0 FRV, after the All-Star break.

At 34 years old, and after earning $4 million in 2026, a short-term contract between $2-3 million as a backup catcher in Houston would not be a bad option for Hedges, who has averaged 70 games over the last three seasons. Even so, the Astros will have to make important decisions with Diaz and find a way to create playing time for their younger catchers, something the organization has fallen short of in recent campaigns, without being able to expand development at a key position.