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Astros' Jake Meyers DFA puts a costly trade misstep in focus

ByEric Cole
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May 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Jake Meyers (6) catches a fly ball hit by Texas Rangers second baseman Justin Foscue (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
May 25, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Jake Meyers (6) catches a fly ball hit by Texas Rangers second baseman Justin Foscue (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is little about how the Houston Astros have handled Jake Meyers and his trade market that has made much sense in recent years. When Meyers struggled to provide much value at all and teams were willing to take a shot on him, Houston stubbornly held on to him as a piece of their future. When he actually started producing, the Astros made him available, but at a market price that kept suitors from getting serious. Now, those decisions have come back to haunt the Astros.

On Monday, the Astros faced a deadline to reinstate players from the injured list and to set their 40-man rosters ahead of free agency. After another lost season, Houston opted to save the roster space and designated Meyers for assignment.

Just like that, the Astros stand a very real chance of getting nothing at all for Meyers.

Astros DFA Jake Meyers after holding on to him for far, far too long

In a vacuum, Meyers' DFA makes loads of sense. After an extended absence with a kneecap injury following a pretty brutal start to his season, there was little reason to suspect that Meyers would contribute much to the Astros going forward.

However, that doesn't forgive how former general manager Dana Brown and the Astros handled Meyers in recent years. When Meyers could barely hit above .220 for years, Brown inexplicably held on to him. When Meyers began to show signs of breaking out, and it looked like he could get traded, his market dried up as the Astros' demands obviously outpaced the demand for Meyers' services. Houston got a little unlucky with the timing of another Meyers injury around the trade deadline last year, but most of the damage here was very much self-inflicted.

Now, the Astros will get nothing for him barring an upset. Houston had already demoted Meyers earlier in 2026, and there is no world where they will put up much of a fight if a team decides to scoop him up. Perhaps this is new GM Randy Flores' first move to clean up the messes of the previous regime, but that doesn't make the mistake any less glaring.

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