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Astros' 2026 payroll picture coming into focus after arbitration deadline moves

Housecleaning day for the Astros.
Eric Cole
Eric Cole

Climbing Tal's Hill

Houston Astros v Kansas City Royals / Kyle Rivas/GettyImages

The Houston Astros made their big move this offseason when they signed Tatsuya Imai, but how much more they can actually afford to do now is debatable. The biggest factor is owner Jim Crane and whether or not he is willing to exceed the luxury tax again, but another consideration is the sheer number of players that the Astros have in arbitration in 2026.

The big names are going to get most of the attention. Isaac Paredes was predicted to be Houston's most expensive arbitration figure with Jeremy Peña hot on his heels. In terms of total impact on the Astros' payroll at the end of the day, those two, along with Hunter Brown and Jake Meyers, are going to be what moves the needle one way or the other.

However, that doesn't mean that the other, smaller names on their arbitration to-do list can't make a difference, and that started with salary settlements with both Hayden Wesneski and Steven Okert.

Astros' 2026 payroll is becoming much clearer after arbitration deadline settlements and decisions

Wesneski's injury hurt his case in arbitration, and Okert is coming off a really good year, but he lacks the track record you want as an arbitration-eligible, non-closing reliever. Still, it is notable that both Wesneski and Okert each got deals in the ballpark of what Spotrac projected them to get. Okert beat his projection by $325,000, while Wesneski got over half a million less than his prediction.

At the end of the day, that is all the Astros could really ask for when it comes to arbitration settlements. They no longer have to guesstimate what they are going to be paying these guys, and that helps make decisions as to how much more or less they should invest. Wesneski is still a bit of a wild card as his recovery from Tommy John surgery is in the early stages. That he will at least miss the first half of 2026 justifies the tame salary number, but it could look worse if Wesneski isn't a factor at all in the Astros' 2026 pitching plans.

Next up was Bennett Sousa who is coming off a season where he posted a 2.84 ERA across 44 appearances where he also showed encouraging gains when it comes to strikeouts vs. walks. Spotrac had Sousa getting $1 million for 2026 and he ended up settling with the Astros for $910,000.

Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.