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Astros owner Jim Crane could give Randy Flores the perfect cover to trade Jeremy Peña

Timing is everything...especially when it comes to optics.
ByEric Cole
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Sep 27, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) throws to first base against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) throws to first base against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It doesn't take much baseball expertise to see that this offseason's MLB free agent pool is subpar. Aside from the top five or six names, there are few impact players available on the market, and it is completely fair to say demand far outstrips supply at pretty much every position. For the Houston Astros, that lack of supply could be the opening the team needs to trade Jeremy Peña, along with the unique circumstances around their front office.

After a challenging couple of seasons under former general manager Dana Brown, owner Jim Crane opted to make a change and hire former Cardinals exec Randy Flores as the team's new GM. By all accounts, the Astros are in need of a real reset, and Flores could now take advantage of the optics around Crane to potentially trade Peña without having to deal with the same level of fan backlash.

If Randy Flores wants the Astros to trade Jeremy Peña, he may want to do it as soon as possible

Under normal circumstances, a brand new general manager trading a player like Peña would be a great way to get Astros fans to hate him right out of the gate. Houston fans expect to be competitive every single season, and trading a star player is antithetical to that goal in the short term, no matter how good the return package is most of the time.

However, the Astros don't have much help coming from the minors at the moment, and their roster is getting older. Whether anyone likes it or not, this is not a team that is overly likely to take full advantage of the final year of Peña's contract on the field in 2027. So, there is real merit in exploring a Peña trade this offseason, especially with the shortstop market being as barren as the tundras of Canada.

If you are Flores, trading Peña now could actually be the best option. Yes, the Astros would be losing an All-Star shortstop, but doing so would bring a much-needed infusion of young talent into the organization with a move most would blame on the notoriously meddlesome Crane. If he waits until the trade deadline, fans will absolutely blame Flores, the return will be significantly less, and the optics will be brutal.

Now, Crane might also be the biggest hurdle to a potential trade, as he never wants the perception that the Astros are rebuilding/resetting whatsoever. However, he did green-light trading Kyle Tucker, so it is possible that he would understand the value of acting now, even if he is the one who would end up getting the blame for it.

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