5 bold 2026 predictions that could define the Astros leadership moving forward

The Houston Astros' offseason was defined by two gambles. Tatsuya Imai was their largest swing in free agency, and Houston took part in a creative three-team trade to come away with former Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mike Burrows. In each instance, the Astros are hoping their pitching infrastructure can get the most out of each pitcher, with Imai likely having a higher ceiling.

If Imai and Burrows turn into success stories, that could be at the center of the Astros' prosperity in 2026. It might need to be, considering their offense was broken at the end of the 2025 season, and the front office did little to correct that during the offseason.

One way or another, 2026 is going to be a decisive year for the Astros. They will either return to the playoffs and cement Dana Brown and Joe Epada's future with the organization, or they will miss the playoffs and ignite a regime change next offseason.

Jeremy Peña will be an AL MVP candidate

Jeremy Peña was getting early MVP consideration during the early months of the 2025 season, but an injury quickly ended that talk. Not to mention, it took him a minute to get going once he came back from said injury.

If he's healthy for the duration of the 2026 season, Peña is going to be an American League MVP candidate. Nevertheless, the legitimacy of his MVP campaign may depend on the Astros' status as a contender.

Isaac Paredes & Christian Walker will be around until the trade deadline

The Astros have yet to resolve the infield logjam they had at the start of the offseason, and it's hard to map out a scenario where anything changes before Opening Day.

If the Astros reach Opening Day with Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker on their roster, chances are good that will be the case at least until the MLB trade deadline in August. Teams simply aren't in a rush to make a trade during the early months of the regular season.

The Astros will be sellers at the MLB trade deadline

The reason why it may take until the trade deadline to resolve the situation with Paredes and Walker is that the Astros will be sellers once it rolls around. There's a clear argument to be made that the Astros are closer to the Los Angeles Angels at the bottom of the American League West than they are to the Seattle Mariners at the top of the division.

The Astros roster isn't getting any younger and is bloated with bad contracts. If the train goes off the rails during the opening months of the season, the Astros will be sellers before the August 3 deadline passes.

Brice Matthews forces the issue

If the Astros are sellers at the deadline, the focus will eventually shift from contending to identifying current pieces in the organization that could be a part of the next contending core. Enter Brice Matthews.

Matthews is ready for an extended run at the Major League level, but the current roster situation likely prevents that. At some point, he's going to force the issue and become a part of the long-term conversation when talking about the next great Astros team.

Either Dana Brown or Joe Espada won't last the entire season

Considering the Astros took their time to confirm that GM Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada would be returning to the 2026 season, a slow start could lead to Jim Crane getting antsy.

The hunch is that Brown may serve up Espada before the focus turns to his job security. Still, the prediction here is that the Astros will have a new manager and general manager by this time next year.