Astros’ 2026 goals do not match the realities of their glutted roster

Last offseason, the Houston Astros tried to pull off something that is every organization's dream. They tried to retool for the future while simultaneously contending, and the linchpin of the plan was the Kyle Tucker trade. As we've learned, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and awry it went for Houston as the club missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Now, in the lead-up to the 2026 season, the Astros will try to do the same thing again, but this time, the rare feat will be even more difficult to pull off. Of course, with a dire financial situation staring them in the face, they don't have many other choices.

Astros want to compete while working in the young guys, but the state of the roster makes that nearly impossible

In a perfect world, the Astros would find ample at-bats for Brice Matthews, Jacob Melton, Zach Cole, and Cam Smith in 2026, and they'd watch that quartet blossom and prepare to take the torch from greats like Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa.

The reality, however, is far more complicated. First, the chances of all four producing immediately are very slim, but even finding the requisite playing time for those four youngsters is going to be a challenge.

The Astros' infield is already jammed, with the club struggling to figure out how to balance playing time between Carlos Correa, Isaac Paredes, and Christian Walker. They'd love to trade Christian Walker to open things up, but so far, the rest of MLB has collectively said, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Things are no less crowded (barring a trade) in the outfield. As currently constructed, you've got Jake Meyers, Jesus Sanchez, Cam Smith, Jose Altuve, Zach Cole, and Jacob Melton all vying for full or part-time roles out there. Toss in a few left field appearances for Yordan Alvarez, and to say things are crowded is an understatement. Trading Meyers is certainly an option, and one the rest of the league has a lot more appetite for than a Walker trade, but it still wouldn't completely clear the bottleneck.

At the end of the day, the Astros have no one to blame but themselves for this dilemma. Their insistence on staying below the luxury tax made full-throttle competing an impossibility, but their reluctance to tear it down got them stuck in purgatory.

Then, as the injury bug struck and the list of the wounded reached its peak, Dana Brown and the Astros panicked and exacerbated the problem with moves for the likes of Carlos Correa (cuts doubly with the budget and the roster glut) and Sanchez.

The best they can hope for now is to swing a couple of trades, some of which may be salary dumps, while others might help rebalance assets, and hope that it all works out. Unfortunately, it takes two to tango, and the Astros rigidity in their budget and some of their poor decisions have taken them out of the driver's seat when it comes to determining their future.