Astros Rumors

The Astros finalized their 2026 coaching staff. Ethan Katz has been hired as an assistant pitching coach, which was first reported byChandler Rome of The Athletic. Houston also hired Tim Cossins as catching coach, a move thatBrian McTaggart of MLB.com reported last week.

The rest of Joe Espada’s staff had been previously reported. Victor Rodriguez comes over from the Padres as hitting coach, with Anthony Iapoce tabbed as his assistant. Dan Hennigan has officially been hired as director of hitting/offensive coordinator, which GM Dana Brown announced alongside the Iapoce hiring.

Josh Miller will be the team’s sole lead pitching coach after jointly holding that role with Bill Murphy for the past three seasons. Murphy left to take the same job with the Pirates last month. Bench coach Omar Lopez, base coaches Dave Clark (first) and Tony Perezchica (third), quality assurance coach Jason Bell, and game planning coach Tommy Kawamura are back in their previous positions.

Katz, 42, heads to Houston after five seasons as the top pitching coach with the White Sox. He’d previously worked in the minors with the Angels and Mariners and spent one year as an assistant pitching coach with the Giants. Chicago got excellent seasons from Dylan Cease and Lucas Giolito early in Katz’s tenure. They’ve predictably gone downhill since kicking off a rebuild in 2022. Only the Angels, Athletics, Nationals and Rockies have a higher ERA than the White Sox’s 4.61 mark over the past three seasons.

The Sox parted ways with Katz at the end of the ’25 campaign. Second-year manager Will Venable tabbed Royals assistant Zach Bove as their new pitching coach. Cossins, who’ll work with Yainer Diaz and quite likely an outside acquisition behind the plate, has spent the past seven seasons with the Orioles as catching instructor/field coordinator. He was dismissed in May 2025 when the Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde.

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

• TheRangerstradingMarcus Semien to theMets forBrandon Nimmo and cash (1:25)
• TheOriolestradingGrayson Rodriguez to theAngels forTaylor Ward (20:05)
• TheMarinersre-signingJosh Naylor to a five-year deal (31:20)
• TheBraves acquiringMauricio Dubón from theAstros forNick Allen (40:50)
• Fourdifferentguysaccepting a qualifying offer (52:40)

Check out our past episodes!

• Offseason Preview Megapod: Top 50 Free Agents –listen here
• Surprising Option Decisions, Qualifying Offers, And Paul DePodesta – listen here
• Offseason Preview Megapod: Top Trade Candidates – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook pagehere!

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

The Astros played the final two months of the 2025 season without their star closer. Josh Hader suffered an ill-timed capsule sprain in his throwing shoulder a couple weeks into August. The injury came too late into the season for the front office to respond with an impact trade addition. Hader expressed hope that he could make a long shot return in the playoffs, but the Astros struggled down the stretch and found themselves on the outside looking in during the final weekend.

For many players, a capsule injury requires surgery and a potential year-plus absence. The Astros have maintained they expect Hader to be able to return without going under the knife. General manager Dana Brown said at the GM Meetings that the team was hopeful the six-time All-Star would be ready for Opening Day.

Hader offered similar sentiments this evening, saying he’s in a good spot after completing a throwing program a few weeks ago. “It should be normal. Obviously, intensity gets up (in Spring Training) and we’ll see how that goes and how I’m recovering, bouncing back from that,” the veteran lefty said (link viaMatt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). “But as of now, everything is status quo, back to normal.”

Before the injury, Hader was amidst yet another excellent season. He carried a 2.05 ERA while striking out 37% of opponents across 52 2/3 innings. Hader locked down 28 of 29 save chances and was well on his way to what would have been his sixth straight full season with at least 30 saves. It was a strong rebound effort from a little less consistent first season in Houston. Hader posted a 3.80 ERA, the second-highest mark of his career, across 71 appearances in 2024.

Hader worked more than one inning in seven appearances this year. He completed two full frames four times, including in what wound up being his last outing of the season on August 8. Hader tossed a season-high 36 pitches in that appearance. That could certainly be coincidental — he twice threw 35 pitches in a game earlier in the year and didn’t get hurt — but the timing at least raises some questions about his workload. Hader didn’t throw more than one inning in any regular season game between 2021-23, seemingly out of concern about suffering an injury before he’d locked in a significant free agent contract.

Once the Astros signed him to a five-year, $95MM deal, Hader reversed course. He said tonight he remains open to pitching multiple innings despite the shoulder issue, though he added he hasn’t heard anything from the team regarding their usage plans. “For sure. They committed to me to be here for multiple years and gave me the opportunity to pitch. That’s all I can ever ask for. And my commitment to them is committing to be there and be available as much as possible,” Hader replied when asked about working more than one inning.

The Astros were forced to press Bryan Abreu into the closer role for the final six weeks of the season. Abreu had a rough patch between August 30 and September 9 when he allowed multiple runs in three out of four games. He was otherwise flawless, tossing scoreless appearances in his remaining 14 outings while securing seven saves. Abreu is one of the best setup arms in MLB and could certainly close if necessary, but the Astros felt the effects of losing Hader on the overall bullpen.Kaleb Ort and Enyel De Los Santos were their top right-handers to handle leverage spots that arose earlier in games. That’s not sufficient for a playoff hopeful.

It doesn’t seem Houston will know if they’re out of the woods with Hader’s shoulder until he fully builds up in March. The early returns are encouraging, though, which is pivotal for a team that’ll again face questions about the bullpen depth. The front office appears to be working under relatively tight payroll constraints from ownership and also needs to solidify the middle of the rotation while ideally adding a left-handed bat.

Every American League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.

Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the AL, while the National League movesare available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

• The Angels announced they’ve non-tendered outfielder Gustavo Campero and catcher Sebastian Rivero. Campero is a depth outfielder who has hit .202/.272/.346 over the past two seasons. Rivero operated as the club’s third catcher for most of the season but spent the final few weeks on the active roster. Neither player had been eligible for arbitration. All their arb-eligible players were easy calls to retain.
• The Astros technically made one non-tender, dropping infielder Ramón Urías after he wasdesignated for assignment earlier in the week. He’d been projected at $4.4MM.
• The Athletics officially non-tendered outfielder JJ Bleday, the club announced. He’d beendesignated for assignment on Tuesday, so this was inevitable unless they found a trade partner. Bleday had been projected at $2.2MM.
• The only non-tenders for the Red Sox were first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and reliever Josh Winckowski, each of whom had beendesignated for assignment on Tuesday. Lowe was projected at $13.5MM, while Winckowski was at $800K.
• The Guardians non-tendered outfielder Will Brennan and relievers Sam Hentges and Nic Enright. The latter had beendesignated for assignment on Tuesday. Hentges hasn’t pitched since undergoing shoulder surgery in September 2024. He underwent a right knee procedure a few months ago and will be delayed this offseason. Brennan only appeared in six MLB games this year and underwent Tommy John surgery while in the minors in June. He’d been projected at $900K.
• The Mariners non-tendered reliever Gregory Santos, reportsFrancys Romero. He’d only been projected at $800K, narrowly above the MLB minimum, so the move was about dropping him from the 40-man roster. Seattle acquired the 26-year-old righty from the White Sox over the 2023-24 offseason. He has only made 16 MLB appearances with a 5.02 earned run average over the past two years because of lat and knee injuries. Seattle also non-tendered relieversTrent Thornton and Tayler Saucedo (the latter of whom wasdesignated for assignment on Tuesday). Thornton had been projected at $2.5MM and is coming off a 4.68 ERA through 33 appearances. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in August.
• The Orioles non-tendered swingman Albert Suárez, the team announced. Everyone else in their arbitration class was offered a contract, surprisingly including first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Suárez, 36, was a solid depth starter in 2024. He was limited to five MLB appearances this past season by a flexor strain but is not expected to require surgery.
• The Rangers non-tendered each ofAdolis García,Jonah Heim,Josh Sborz andJacob Webb. MLBTR covered those moves ingreater detail.
• The Rays only non-tendered outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley, each of whom had beendesignated for assignment earlier in the week.Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reported last night that the Rays were open to bringing back Fraley at a lower price than his $3.6MM arbitration projection.
• The Royals non-tendered outfielder MJ Melendez and reliever Taylor Clarke, per a club announcement. Melendez, who’d been projected at $2.65MM, was an obvious decision. The former top prospect never developed as hoped and is a career .215/.297/.388 hitter over parts of four seasons. Clarke isn’t as big a name but comes as the more surprising cut. He’d been projected at just $1.9MM and is coming off a 3.25 ERA with a 21.4% strikeout rate over 55 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.
• The Tigers are non-tendering utility player Andy Ibáñez, according toRomero. He’d been projected at $1.8MM. The righty-hitting Ibáñez had been a solid short-side platoon bat for Detroit between 2023-24. His production against southpaws dropped this year (.258/.311/.403), limiting his value. The Tigers optioned the 32-year-old to Triple-A in early June and kept him in the minors until shortly before the trade deadline. Detroit also dropped the six pitchers they’ddesignated for assignment earlier in the week: Tanner Rainey, Dugan Darnell, Tyler Mattison, Jason Foley, Jack Little and Sean Guenther.
• The only Twins non-tender was outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr., who’d beendesignated for assignment this morning to make room for the Alex Jackson trade. Everyone in the arbitration class was brought back.
• The White Sox non-tendered outfielderMike Tauchman, as first reported byBruce Levine of 670 The Score. The lefty hitter turned in a solid .263/.356/.400 line in 93 games this past season. Tauchman has gotten on base at plus rates in three straight years but was also non-tendered by the Cubs a year ago. The 34-year-old (35 next month) had been projected for a $3.4MM salary. The Sox also announced they’ve dropped lefty reliever Cam Booser and first baseman Tim Elko. Neither had been eligible for arbitration. The former posted a 5.52 ERA in 39 appearances after being acquired from the Red Sox last winter, while the latter hit .134 in his first 23 MLB games despite a 26-homer season in Triple-A.
• The Yankees announced five non-tenders. RelieversMark Leiter Jr., Scott Effross, Jake Cousins andIan Hamilton were all cut loose, as was pre-arbitration righty Michael Arias. Leiter, who’d been projected at $3MM, never clicked in the Bronx after being acquired at the 2024 deadline. He posted a 4.89 ERA in 70 innings as a Yankee. Hamilton, Effross and Cousins were all projected just above the MLB minimum but are cut to clear roster space. Hamilton was on and off the active roster and posted a 4.28 ERA in 40 big league frames this year. Effross was limited to 11 appearances and has been plagued by various injuries for the past three and a half years, while Cousins is working back from Tommy John surgery. Arias has never pitched in the big leagues and could be brought back on a minor league deal.

The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all unsigned players on the 40-man roster.

The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is this afternoon at 4pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who wereborderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come viaMLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day as deals are announced and/or reported. Salary figures are fromThe Associated Press unless otherwise noted.

• TheAstros signed right-handerEnyel De Los Santos to a one-year deal and outfielderTaylor Trammell to a split deal, perBrian McTaggart of MLB.com. PerChandler Rome ofThe Athletic, De Los Santos gets $1.6MM, plus a $100K bonus if he appears in 60 games, while Trammell $900K if in the majors and $500K in the minors. They were projected for $2.1MM and $900K respectively.
• TheAthletics announced that they have signed right-handerLuis Medina and left-handerKen Waldichuk to one-year deals. Medina gets $835K, while Waldichuk comes in at $825K.
• TheBraves announced that they have signed infielderVidal Bruján, infielderMauricio Dubón, outfielderEli White and left-handersJoey Wentz andJosé Suarez for the 2026 season. Bruján’s deal was announced as a split contract; he’ll make $850K in MLB and $500K in the minors. Dubon will make $6.1MM, perJon Heyman of The New York Post, right around his $5.8MM projection. Suarez gets $900K, perAri Alexander of 7 News, below his $1.5MM projection. White and Wentz also get $900K salaries.
• TheBrewers announced that they have signed first basemanJake Bauers for 2026. He’ll make $2.7MM, perJon Heyman of The New York Post. He was projected for $2MM.
• TheGiants have agreed to a one-year deal with right-handerJT Brubaker, perJustice selos Santos of Mercury News. He commands a $1.82MM salary.
• TheGuardians have agreed to one-year deals with outfielderNolan Jones, catcher/designated hitterDavid Fry and right-handerMatt Festa, perZack Meisel of The Athletic. In afollow-up, Meisel also provides the salary figures. Jones will make $2MM, Fry $1.375MM and Festa $1MM. They were projected for $2MM, $1.2MM and $1MM respectively.
• TheMets and outfielderTyrone Taylor have agreed at $3.8MM, perMark Feinsand of MLB.com, right around his $3.6MM projection.
• TheNationals announced they have signed catcherRiley Adams to a one-year deal. It’s a split deal that pays $1MM in the big leagues and $500K in the minors.
• TheOrioles and right-handerFélix Bautista have agreed to a $2.25MM contract, reportsMark Feinsand of MLB.com. He was projected for $2.1MM.
• ThePadres announced they signed catcherLuis Campusano to a one-year deal. He’ll make $900K next year, perDennis Lin of The Athletic. He was projected for $1MM.
• ThePhillies have agreed to a split deal with catcherGarrett Stubbs, reportsMatt Gelb of The Athletic. Stubbs will make $925K in the majors and $575K in the minors. The major league salary is an exact match for his projection. The Phils announced that they also signed catcherRafael Marchán. He’ll make $860K, perTodd Zolecki of MLB.com. He was projected for $1MM.
• TheRangers announced they signed outfielderSam Haggerty to a one-year deal. It’s a $1.25MM contract.
• TheRays and right-handerCole Sulser have settled at $1.05MM, perMarc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. Sulser was projected for $1.2MM. According to the AP, it’s a split deal that pays at a $600K rate in the minors.
• TheReds and left-handerSam Moll have agreed at $875K, perJon Heyman of The New York Post. He was projected for $1.2MM. His 2026 deal also has $150K in potential incentives — $50K each for 45, 55 and 65 appearances.
• TheRoyals and infielderJonathan India agreed to an $8MM deal. You can read more about that inthis post.
• TheTigers and infielder/outfielderMatt Vierling agreed at $3.225MM, perJon Heyman of The New York Post. He was projected for $3.1MM. Detroit signed right-handerBeau Brieske at $1.1575MM, perHeyman, right around his $1.3MM projection. The Tigers signed catcherJake Rogers at $3.05MM, perEvan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, right around his $2.9MM projection.
• TheTwins signed right-handerJustin Topa to a one-year, $1.225MM deal. MLBTR covered that earlier inthis post. The Twins turned down a $2MM club option for Topa, giving him a $225K buyout instead, but he remained under club control via arb. Between the buyout and next year’s salary, he’ll collect $1.45MM.Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported Topa’s 2026 salary.Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic adds that the guarantee is broken down into a $1MM salary in 2026 followed by a $225K buyout on a $5MM mutual option. The buyout can rise to $300K via unspecified incentives.
• TheWhite Sox announced that they have agreed to terms on a $900K deal with outfielderDerek Hill. He was projected for $1MM.
• TheYankees and infielderOswaldo Cabrera have agreed to a $1.2MM contract, perJack Curry of Yes Network, an exact match for his projection. The Yanks have also signed right-handerClarke Schmidt to a $4.5MM deal, perRobert Murray of FanSided, right around his $4.9MM projection.

Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images

The Astros have signed right-handerAnthony Maldonado to a minor league deal, perMatt Eddy of Baseball America. The righty will presumably receive an invite to major league camp in spring training.

Maldonado, 28 in February, has a limited big league track record. He tossed 19 innings for the 2024 Marlins and then six innings for the Athletics this year. In the 25 combined innings, he has allowed 20 earned runs, leading to a 7.20 ERA. The A’s outrighted him off their 40-man roster at season’s end and he elected free agency.

Given the quality and quantity of that sample, the Astros are presumably more interested in his minor league numbers. Over multiple seasons, he has tossed 160 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 3.59 ERA. He has walked a worrisome 10.8% of batters faced at that level but has also punched out opponents at a strong 31.7% clip.

The Astros had a strong bullpen in 2025 but it leans to the left side, withJosh Hader,Bryan King,Steven Okert andBennett Sousa all projected to be in there next year. Maldonado is a no-risk flier on a cheap righty arm. If he cracks the roster, he still has an option remaining and less than a year of service time.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

For a second straight offseason, Astros owner Jim Crane is “wary” of exceeding the luxury tax threshold,Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. Dipping under the tax line was a clear priority for Houston last offseason as well.

This year’s first-tier luxury threshold lands at $244MM.Per RosterResource, the Astros are currently about $25MM shy of that mark. Their DFA ofRamon Urias and last night’strade of fellow utilitymanMauricio Dubón (for lower-priced utility optionNick Allen) trimmed a net $8.7MM off that payroll projection, which usesMLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projected arbitration salaries.

Houston’s current $218.9MM luxury tax projection could — and very likely will — dip further over the next 36 hours. The deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is tomorrow at 5pm ET. The ’Stros have several plausible non-tender candidates, including outfielderJesus Sanchez ($6.5MM projected salary), relieverEnyel De Los Santos ($2.1MM projection) and outfielderTaylor Trammell ($900K projection). If the Astros move on from that trio, they’d trim a net $7.15MM from the current $218.9MM projection.

The Astros are known to be in the market for rotation help — they already took a cheap one-year flier on former top prospectNate Pearson,guaranteeing him $1.35MM — and have been working to balance out a heavily right-handed lineup for the better part of the past calendar year.Framber Valdez is a free agent, leavingHunter Brown atop a starting staff with more question marks than reliable contributors.

Cristian Javier is a quality mid-rotation arm when healthy, but 2026 will be his first full year back from Tommy John surgery.Lance McCullers Jr. returned from a two-year injury absence in 2025 but struggled badly.Spencer Arrighetti missed most of the season with a broken thumb.Jason Alexander was a surprise contributor in 2025, but he’s a journeyman 33-year-old with no prior MLB success who’d struggled in Triple-A from 2023-24.J.P. France pitched just four MLB frames and was hit hard in Triple-A after spending the first two-thirds of the season rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Left-handerColton Gordon was tagged for a 5.34 ERA in 19 starts as a rookie. RightyAJ Blubaugh impressed in his first 32 big league innings but was tagged for a 5.27 ERA in a much larger Triple-A sample. Each ofRonel Blanco,Hayden Wesneski andBrandon Walter underwent Tommy John surgery. ProspectMiguel Ullola could factor in, but he’s yet to pitch in the majors and has poor command.

Suffice it to say, the need for starting pitching is acute, but the means to acquire it aren’t exactly plentiful. The Astros can certainly add one free agent starter at a notable salary, but that’d eat up a good chunk of the space they have between their current standing and the first luxury tier. Adding a left-handed bat to a lineup whereYordan Alvarez and rookie outfielderZach Cole are the only current options (assuming Sanchez is non-tendered or traded) will also cut into the gap. Houston would presumably prefer to add another catcher, too; current backupCesar Salazar hit just .213/.353/.353 in Triple-A this past season and has just 67 career plate appearances in the majors. He’ll turn 30 in March. And of course, most teams prefer to maintain at least a little financial wiggle-room for in-season dealings.

The trade market always presents alternative options, but Houston’s farm system is in dire straits. The Astros have long shown a knack for coaxing strong performances out of pitchers who weren’t considered top-tier talent throughout the industry (though the team clearly stalled in that regard this past season). However, that doesn’t mean other clubs will be lining up to surrender established talent in exchange for minor leaguers from what’s widely regarded as a bottom-five system in the game.

It’s feasible that further trades could be engineered to create more spending power, but GM Dana Brown has downplayed the possibility of moving first basemanChristian Walker (owed $40MM through 2027) and flatly said thathe has “no interest” in trading infielderIsaac Paredes ($9.3MM projected salary). As things stand, the Astros have limited spending power to address their needs and an even more limited stock of minor league talent to peddle if they try to upgrade via trade. There are never any “easy” answers when trying to assemble a competitive roster with sufficient depth to navigate a 162-game season, but Brown & Co. are staring at their most complicated puzzle in recent memory.

The Astros and Braves announced a one-for-one swap of middle infielders. Utility playerMauricio Dubón is headed to Atlanta with defensive specialistNick Allen on his way to Houston.

Atlanta takes on a few million dollars to upgrade their infield. Dubón, 31, spent nearly four seasons in Houston. The Astros acquired him from the Giants in a minor trade early in 2022. It was a nice pickup, as he developed into a versatile and generally reliable piece off the bench. Dubón won two utility Gold Glove awards while playing all three infield positions to the left of first base and a decent amount of center and left field.

The righty-swinging Dubón was a league average hitter a couple seasons ago, batting .278/.309/.411 with 10 homers in nearly 500 trips to the dish. His offense has declined in each of the past two years. He’s coming off a .241/.289/.355 showing with seven longballs through 398 plate appearances and carries a .256/.293/.358 line over the past two seasons. He’s very difficult to strike out but rarely walks and has well below-average power.

Still, that light bat is a significant upgrade over what Allen brings to the table offensively. The 27-year-old Allen didn’t hit a single home run in 416 trips to the dish this year. He turned in a .211/.284/.251 line that made him easily the worst hitter to take 400+ plate appearances. Allen ranked in the bottom 20 hitters in on-base percentage, while his slugging mark was more than .040 points lower than the second-lowest in MLB (.296 byVictor Scott II). He owns a .213/.265/.272 slash in nearly 1200 plate appearances over parts of four seasons.

Allen has continued to get playing time because of his superlative glove. He has been touted as an excellent infielder dating back to his high school days. Allen has posted fantastic defensive marks in every season of his career. Defensive Runs Saved graded him as the third-best shortstop in MLB this year behindMookie Betts and Zach Neto. Statcast’s Outs Above Average also had him third, albeit behind Bobby Witt Jr. and Masyn Winn.

Dubón is unlikely to bethat caliber of defender if he were pressed into everyday shortstop work. Statcast has graded him as a plus defender in his 721 career innings at the position though. Defensive Runs Saved has him right around league average. Dubón should be capable of playing there every day, and he’s not a complete zero offensively. That’s particularly true in favorable platoon matchups, as he’s a .288/.329/.417 hitter versus left-handed pitching over the past three years.

The Braves couldn’t afford to enter next season with Allen atop the shortstop depth chart. Dubón would be a low-end regular but provides a higher floor. This shouldn’t detract from Atlanta’s interest in re-signing Ha-Seong Kim. Dubón has the versatility to provide cover behind Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley at second and third base while complementing lefty-hitting Michael Harris II in center field. Still, he’s at least a reasonable one-year fallback if Kim signs elsewhere in a market devoid of shortstop alternatives in free agency or trade.

Dubón is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility. He’sprojected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $5.8MM salary. Allen is eligible for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player and under control for four years. He’s projected at $1.5MM. Houston cuts a little more than $4MM from the books while downgrading in the utility role.

Allen isn’t going to play shortstop barring an injury toJeremy Peña, but he can offer a glove-only option at second base. Jose Altuve is the primary starter there for now, but the Astros hope to continue splitting his playing time between the keystone, left field, and designated hitter. They’ve been tied to Brendan Donovan in trade conversations and could consider other possibilities (e.g. aBrandon Lowe trade, Jorge Polanco in free agency) if the Cardinals deal Donovan elsewhere. They’ll ideally add a left-handed bat to balance a righty-heavy lineup. Allen is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to be on the active roster or designated for assignment.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported that Dubón had been traded to the Braves just before the announcements. Respective images courtesy of Jerome Miron and Brett Davis, Imagn Images.

The Astros announced they’ve designated infielder Ramón Urías for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to pitching prospect Miguel Ullola, who has been selected to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Their roster remains at capacity.

Houston acquired Urías from the Orioles at this past summer’s trade deadline. It initially seemed he’d be the fill-in third baseman after the Isaac Paredes injury. The Astros pulled off the shocking Carlos Correa deal a day later, pushing Urías into more of a second/third base hybrid role. He didn’t perform especially well. He hit .223/.267/.372 with 28 strikeouts in 101 trips to the plate after the trade.

That will end up being his only work in an Astros uniform. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartzprojected Urías for a $4.4MM salary in his final year of arbitration. Houston wasn’t going to pay that amount coming off the rough finish. They can technically spend the next three days trying to find a trade partner, but it’s likelier they’ll simply non-tender him on Friday. He’d become a free agent at that point.

While his Astros tenure was a disappointment, Urías had been a capable role player for the Orioles for the past few seasons. He won a Gold Glove at third base in 2022, though his defensive grades in every other season have been right around average. Urías was also essentially an average hitter throughout his time in Baltimore. He batted .259/.324/.404 in a little more than 500 games over parts of six seasons with the Orioles. He’s been serviceable against pitchers of either handedness and can play any non-shortstop position on the dirt.

Urías should be able to command a major league contract if he’s non-tendered. It’d surely be a one-year deal but he could find a $3-4MM guarantee to work as a right-handed infielder off the bench. Houston will ideally find a lefty bat to fit that role, as their lineup already skews very heavily to the right side. They’ll need to decide whether to tender righty-hitting utilitymanMauricio Dubón (projected at $5.8MM) or start from scratch with their infield depth.

Ullola appears to be the only prospect whom the Astros were concerned would get taken in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old righty spent the entire ’25 season working out of the Triple-A rotation. He managed a solid 3.88 earned run average across 113 2/3 innings in the Pacific Coast League. Ullola fanned 27% of opponents but walked nearly 16% of batters faced. He has never thrown strikes at a tenable rate in the minors, which presumably points toward a long-term bullpen future. Ullola’s fastball sits around 94 MPH in his work as a starter, so he could be a solid power arm with significant bat-missing upside if the Astros move him to relief.

The deadline to accept the qualifying offer has passed. Four players —Trent Grisham,Gleyber Torres,Brandon Woodruff, andShota Imanaga — chose to accept the one-year, $22.025MM deal and remain with their current clubs. The remaining nine players rejected the deal. They are: Cubs outfielderKyle Tucker, Phillies DHKyle Schwarber, Blue Jays infielderBo Bichette, Astros leftyFramber Valdez, Padres rightyDylan Cease, Phillies leftyRanger Suarez, Mets closerEdwin Diaz, Diamondbacks rightyZac Gallen, and Padres rightyMichael King. All nine are now free agents.

There’s not much surprise in any of the nine players who rejected. Tucker, Schwarber, Bichette, Valdez, Cease, Suarez and Diaz were all locks. Gallen may have given some brief thought to accepting after a rough showing in 2025, but he finished strong and has a track record as a high-end starter who’s garnered multiple top-five finishes in NL Cy Young balloting. King was hobbled by nerve and knee injuries in an odd season but was dominant in 2023-24 and through the first two months of the current season. He was healthy late in the year and fanned three in his lone inning of postseason work. He’ll test the waters in search of a multi-year deal as well.

Now that this nonet has rejected qualifying offers, they’ll all be subject to draft compensation. Interested teams will need to surrender a draft pick (or multiple picks) and, in some cases, space from their bonus pool for international amateurs in order to sign any of this group. The extent of that draft compensation depends on the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the new team. MLBTRbroke down which pick(s) each club would forfeit by signing a “qualified” free agent last month.

Similarly, the compensation for each player’s former club is dependent on revenue-sharing and luxury tax status — as well as the size of the contract signed by the player in question. MLBTR also ran through thecompensation each team would receive if their qualified free agents turned down the offer and signed elsewhere.