Astros need Carlos Correa to buck this trend if they want to compete for a playoff spot

At the end of last season, Carlos Correa pleaded for the Houston Astros to run it back after a disastrous finish to the 2025 campaign. The issue was health, not talent, in his estimation, and in part, the Astros agreed, moving on from head athletic trainer Jeremiah Randall after relentless injury waves eroded their playoff chances.

It sure looks like Houston is following that path, although somewhat begrudgingly. The club would love to move Christian Walker, but no one wants to take on the upside-down asset. Because of that, they'd trade away Isaac Paredes, but only if they can get the value that they seek, which doesn't seem to be the case.

What is clear is that the Astros aren't packing it in. The window may be closing, but as long as there's even the tiniest crack, they'll try to compete. And, in doing so, they'll be running it back with the same lineup, more or less, that we saw last year. Health will be a critical factor in determining their success, but so, too, will Correa.

If Houston wants this to go well, they'll need to get off to a fast start, and Correa will need to turn around his history of early-season malaise in order to make that happen.

Carlos Correa needs to snap his streak of cold starts to the season if the Astros are going to contend in 2026

Everything about Correa's game has become more erratic since his chronic foot issues became a problem. In 2023, his bat disappeared entirely as he posted the worst full season of his career. In 2024, he put together a vintage campaign that reminded everyone why he was regarded as one of the game's biggest stars. Last year, his contact skills were revitalized after he was traded back to Houston, but his power failed him.

What has been consistent has been the slow starts. Over the past five years, he's put together concerning numbers over the first month of the season four times.

Even though his .755 mark in March and April in 2024 was his worst month of the season. For his career, he owns a .758 OPS in the first month of regular season action, which also marks his worst performance of any month.

The AL West will be tough. Seattle is a cut above the rest, but the Rangers and even the Athletics are threatening. The Angels are trying to compete, and although they're a mess, they proved to be streaky at times last season.

The wild card chase will also be tough, with four teams in the AL East looking like contenders. Therefore, a slow start could bury the Astros.

Correa isn't a one-man band, but he was brought back last season to save a sinking ship. He nearly did it, too. But now, Houston is making decisions to accommodate him. Whether that means ultimately pulling the trigger on a Paredes trade or finding someone to take Walker off their hands, it's all in service of making sure the former first overall pick gets his at-bats.

More than likely, if he's not traded, Paredes will be the one to see his playing time cut due to Correa's presence on the roster. Therefore, a slow start by the 2015 Rookie of the Year could prove disastrous for the Astros. If they fall behind, they might never recover.