The Houston Astros’ biggest need this offseason is undoubtedly starting pitching. With so many Houston starters set to open the 2026 campaign on the IL and Framber Valdez likely to find a new home in free agency, finding another frontline starter to pair with Hunter Brown will be one of Dana Brown’s top priorities this winter.
But sometimes unexpected opportunities present themselves, and bold action must be taken. This offseason, the price for a reliable reliever has skyrocketed. Raisel Iglesias inked a one-year, $16 million deal to remain with the Atlanta Braves, the Baltimore Orioles just signed Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million contract, and Devin Williams just moved across town to join the New York Mets on a three-year deal worth more than $50 million.
Neither Iglesias nor Helsley represents the top of the relief market, and Williams is coming off his worst season in the bigs. The eventual contracts handed out to the likes of Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, and Pete Fairbanks will be obscene. As such, the Astros should take advantage of the inflated market and see what setup man Bryan Abreu could fetch in a trade this offseason.
Astros must weigh the idea of trading Bryan Abreu this offseason
Some Astros fans will immediately recoil at the thought of trading Abreu. He was one of the team’s most reliable weapons out of the bullpen last season, with 105 punch-outs over 71 innings pitched. He’s also extremely affordable with an arbitration projection just below $6 million. Why in the world would the Astros want to trade such a valuable part of their roster?
Abreu is entering the final year of his arbitration window, and the Astros have no long-term plans to bring him back after the 2026 season. Much like Williams last season, the Astros could trade Abreu to a needy team and reap the benefits of a high-upside trade package.
The Milwaukee Brewers shipped Williams to the New York Yankees last winter and received NL Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin as part of the return. The Astros could take a similar approach with Abreu this offseason, and help to restock their beleaguered farm system or add a starting pitcher.
Losing Abreu would cause some short-term problems, however. While Houston has Josh Hader — one of the top closers in the game — the Astros would lose their bridge to the ninth inning if they parted with Abreu this offseason. Theoretically, Bryan King or Steven Okert could serve as Houston’s setup man in 2026, but they’d be taking quite a gamble.
There’s no need for the Astros to officially put Abreu on the “trade block”, but if another club comes calling, Houston’s front office should at least listen before hanging up the phone.