Astros face major crossroads at trade deadline due to Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes

Astros face major crossroads at trade deadline due to Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The 2026 MLB trade deadline for the Houston Astros is a very interesting one. On one hand, they’d love to add to their roster and pursue a postseason berth in a wide-open American League.

But, on the other hand, they’re 49-54, 3.0 games out of the AL West lead and 4.0 back in the AL Wild Card. Selling is still a very real possibility for the Astros. However, two players are really posing a problem for Houston this summer.

As ESPN’s Buster Olney highlighted, the Astros are at a major crossroads at the deadline this summer thanks to Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes. With a chance to “absolutely crush it” with a potential trade return for both, this decision is a tough one for the Astros.

Astros at an inflection point with Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes trade decision

“… Some rival executives believe Houston could absolutely crush it in this market if they dangled Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes, and others,” Olney writes.

The Astros might be able to land a ton in return for Paredes and Pena, as the right-handed hitting infield duo might be the best righty sluggers available by a wide margin.

Looking around baseball, there are very few right-handed hitters available for trade. The Astros, if Pena and Paredes are made available, could do very well in a trade.

Trading both wouldn’t be a huge surprise, as Paredes was in trade rumors for much of the offseason, and Pena, amid dwindling extension talks, could be a realistic trade option either in 2026 or after the season comes to a close.

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However, while the Astros seemingly could do very well in a trade of Paredes or Pena, Olney notes that “so far, all the rhetoric coming out of Houston is about charging ahead.”

The Astros are currently planning to keep their players and pursue a postseason berth. That might not be the right call, as this is going to be a major seller’s market, and the Astros have some of the most valuable pieces who could be dealt this summer.

Houston is at a major inflection point in the franchise’s history. Selling could set the team up for success in the long-term. But Dana Brown and Joe Espada might not survive such a deadline and the end of the season.

There are a lot of interesting teams at the 2026 MLB trade deadline, and with this situation outlined, thanks to the option to “crush it” at the deadline with potential Pena and Paredes trades, the Astros are one of baseball’s most important teams this year.

More MLB news:

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• Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani injury update essentially ends Cy Young chances
• Yankees send scouts to Cubs vs. Twins series amid trade interest in three players
• MLB execs believe Padres will trade Mason Miller at trade deadline
• Phillies ‘would love’ to trade for Mets reliever Luke Weaver