Astros costly mistake was just made official and could sabotage their offseason

The Major League Baseball arbitration filing deadline came and went on Thursday. Teams and players exchanged figures, with the majority settling on a salary for the upcoming season. For the Houston Astros, however, one of their biggest offseason mistakes became quite clear.

The Astros' decision to retain trade deadline acquisition Jesús Sanchez will cost Houston $6.8 million in 2026 according to MLB.com beat writer Brian McTaggart. The Astros swung a deal with the Miami Marlins ahead of the July 31 deadline with the hope that Sanchez would add some pop to the middle of the batting order. Instead, he hit just .199/.269/.342 in 48 games, and looked like a sure-fire candidate to be non-tendered back in November.

But the Astros decided to run it back, and will carry that extra $6.8 million on their ledger next season. Given the team's desire to add an extra catcher and bolster the bullpen — all the while staying under the Competitive Balance Tax threshold — it makes little sense for Sanchez to still be part of Houston's roster.

Astros decision to retain Jesús Sanchez could cost them big-time

There are ways, of course, that Sanchez's excessive salary won't totally derail the Astros' efforts to beef up the roster before Opening Day. Houston could always look to trade the slugger sometime later this spring, but at nearly $7 million, it's doubtful the Astros will get much back in return. His lack of production after coming over from Miami is likely to scare teams away as well.

It could also hasten the Astros' efforts to trade one of their infielders this winter. Houston is known to be shopping first baseman Christian Walker, and a number of rumors have suggested that Isaac Paredes could be on the trade block as well. Walker is still owed $40 million over the next two seasons, and Paredes is under team control through 2027.

The Astros are dangerously close to the CBT threshold. FanGraphs estimates Houston's 2026 payroll to be $242 million, just $2 million under the top-end of CBT. One way or another, Astros GM Dana Brown will have to find a way to get that number lower before the season gets underway in March.