When the Houston Astros parted ways with general manager Dana Brown back in late August, it wasn't surprising. Former manager Joe Espada remained for the rest of the regular season and ended up getting Houston to the playoffs by winning a weak American League West Division.

Their stay in the postseason was short after getting swept by the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card round, and Espada parted ways with the team. Houston now needs a GM and a field manager for the 2027 season and beyond. Whoever gets the jobs will likely be a package deal, as a GM always hires their guy as manager. When the dust settles, there are going to be a lot of decisions to be made. There will be multiple needs for the Astros, and Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report pointed to one way they could address some.

Astros Urged To Trade an Infielder This Offseason

Ahead of the 2026 season, Espada had a plethora of infielders available, but his pitching staff felt like a work in progress from the first pitch. Injuries hit the starting rotation on the season's first road trip in April, and it was an issue all season.

However, there were questions after ace Hunter Brown, and to Espada's credit, he got enough out of his starters and bullpen to win 81 games and edge out the Texas Rangers to win the division. However, another arm is needed to slot in behind Hunter Brown, and Miller suggested that the new Astros decision-maker trade one of their infielders who will be free agents after the 2027 campaign.

Miller suggested that Houston trade one of Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes, or Christian Walker, either in a deal to address their pitching needs in the starting rotation or to free up cap space to sign a starter.

Who would likely be traded? Most likely Walker or Paredes. Pena is still a likely long-term piece of the Astros going forward as a shortstop, and keeping him out of the three makes the most sense. Paredes has been someone who was the subject of trade rumors going all the way back to last winter and Walker's name popped more at the trade deadline in August, but Dana Brown held onto him.

Houston has multiple needs this offseason, other than their starting pitching. They could also use an outfielder with some pop. However, to address the need in the starting rotation, moving on from one of their three infielders makes the most sense. It's will take more and maybe many more than 81 wins to win the AL West next season. Adding a solid No. 2 behind Hunter Brown would go a long way toward helping them do that.