It’s no secret at this point that the Houston Astros have a saturated infield. Over the course of the offseason, there have been numerous talks on how this dilemma could be solved, but the Astros have yet to make any headway. There’s still plenty of time for the franchise to make a splash, but it’s unclear which direction they will go.
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Not only are fans questioning this, but Houston’s key third baseman Carlos Correa has also raised some concern. It’s a rarity for players to openly speak on trade potentials and issues regarding their ballclub, but the 31-year-old has been quite candid as of late. In fact, he made his stance clear: something needs to be done.
Houston’s infield certainly does not lack in depth, and this might be one of the few cases in which perhaps they have too much depth, ultimately leaving other positions unbalanced. How will the Astros navigate this?
Correa Weighs In on Infield Woes
Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required), Correa stated, “With the owner that we have, we’re not going to make our team worse. Everybody knows that when the Astros make a move, it’s to make players better and make the team better.”
As further reported by Rome on X, Correa added, “… we have a lot of people that could potentially be used in trades later on. I’m not a GM, but I know that only four infielders can play at a time. You have to make some moves, put some people in the outfield, have depth.”
Asked about the Astros’ infield situation, Correa said “we have a lot of people that could potentially be used in trades later on. I’m not a GM, but I know that only four infielders can play at a time. You have to make some moves, put some people in the outfield, have depth.” https://t.co/fQe3WbPYYu
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 13, 2026
Between key names, including that of Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Jose Altuve and Correa, there is plenty of depth around the diamond, but Houston is lacking outfield support.
However, it should be acknowledged that the Astros did just make a trade recently, swapping outfielder Jesús Sánchez for fellow outfielder Joey Loperfido. Sánchez did not play his strongest campaign in Houston on offense or defense. He wrapped up the season slashing .237/.304/.395 with a .699 OPS and 14 homers through 134 games—a drop from his 2024 performance.
Welcoming Loperfido back to the Lone Star State is likely to help its outfield dilemma, but he alone will not solve every issue. In Correa’s own words, moves have to be made. If the Astros are serious about reaching playoff contention this year, they need to act a bit more aggressively when it comes to free agency and the trade market.
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