In many ways the 2025 season was a seismic one of the Houston Astros. After eight straight seasons of reaching the playoffs, the streak ended. Normally, that means adjustments in the offseason. And Houston will surely make them.
But standing in the way of that is an inflexible payroll, one buried under seven contracts that will eat up most of that the Astros will likely spend in 2026. These contracts likely end any hopes of a reunion with players like Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker, both of which will be free agents this offseason.
How bad is it? Nearly $160 million in payroll is tied up in seven players, per Spotrac. While there is no salary cap, there is a competitive balance tax and Houston will probably be right up against it in 2026 without moving some of that payroll.
Erik Williams-Imagn Images
Just about every team in baseball carries veteran payroll. For the Astros, the top of that pyramid is franchise legend Jose Altuve. He makes more than anyone on the team. He’s worth it, even after 14 years. He’s set to make $33 million in 2026, the second year of a five-year extension he signed that helped ensure he would finish his career in Houston. The deal ends in 2029 when he’s 39 years old.
But Altuve is only the tip of the spear. Houston now must take on Carlos Correa’s contract after he was traded back to the team. He’ll make $21.5 million in 2026, and he has six more years left on his deal, now that he’s vested.
Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who missed much of the season due to injury, is set to make $26.8 million and has two more years left on his deal through 2028. Pitcher Cristian Javier, who signed an extension to avoid arbitration in 2023, is set to make $21.4 million and can’t be a free agent until after 2027.
Christian Walker is entering the second year of his deal that pays him $20 million to play first base. Closer Josh Hader, who finished the season on the injured list, is in the third year of a five-year deal that will pay him $19 million in 2026. Lance McCullers Jr., who has missed much of the last two seasons, is set to make $17.7 million. His contract is the only one coming off the books after 2026. Plus, the contracts make any of them hard to trade.
If the Astros can’t move any of these veterans in trade, then they’ll have to find ways to save money in arbitration. Recently MLB Trade Rumors projected that Houston would have an arbitration bill of more than $60 million for 2026. The only way for the Astros to avoid arbitration is to non-tender the player or choose not to offer them a contract for 2026 and allow them to become free agents.
That list of players includes Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Pena, Jesus Sanchez, Mauricio Dubon, Hunter Brown, Yainer Diaz and Bryan Abreu.
As revealed earlier, the Astros don’t have much room to maneuver.