Astros finalize Opening Day roster and cement costly offseason mistake they can’t fix

By this point, most Houston Astros fans are aware of the odd nature of the team's crowded roster. There are multiple players of questionable value in less-than-ideal positions due to a combination of payroll concerns and debatable roster flexibility.

In short, they have too many expensive players that they've had to shoehorn into roles that may not suit their current strengths. On top of all of that has been the uncertainty around the status of Jeremy Peña.

The Astros seemingly got good news when their starting shortstop's finger injury wasn't considered to be too serious. As spring training dragged on, however, little clarity was given as to Peña's actual availability for the start of the season, and that created a bit of a roster mess when it comes to Zach Cole and Brice Matthews. In the end, both Peña and Matthews are part of Houston's Opening Day roster. Cole was optioned to Triple-A after a rough go of it this spring.

Astros set Opening Day roster, but it's what they didn't do that looms large

No one is saying that the Astros should have given away players like Jake Meyers, Christian Walker, and/or Isaac Paredes. There are merits to keeping and trading all of these guys, and if the Astros didn't find a reasonable market for them, they were right not to force a move.

But it is hard to believe that was the case here. Walker's market was probably less than robust, given how he played in 2025 and how much he is owed. However, we know that there was real interest in Meyers this offseason even if his market was weird, and Paredes' versatility and offensive upside would be welcome on a lot of teams that would have paid handsomely for his services.

Instead, the Astros didn't trade any of them and created a chaotic situation where players didn't know where their playing time would come from or if they would be staying in Houston at all. The Astros may have thought that they were preserving depth with their decisions, but what they ended up doing is creating more confusion and potential drama than they needed to.

Even if they strike a trade later in the season, they will still have roughly half a season of rotating players in and out in an attempt to keep everyone happy.

While it may look like the Astros are finally making their decisions adds clarity to their roster situation, but what it really does is hammer home just how they misplayed their hand this offseason and how it is too late to fix it now.