The offseason is officially here and there is more on everyone’s minds than just free agency.
The offseason in MLB might be a break from games, but it is far from a break for the organization’s management. Free agency isn’t the only daunting period on everybody’s minds, but arbitration is as well. The two somewhat go hand in hand as a ballclub can’t make moves in free agency without knowing what their payroll looks like for 2026.
Arbitration, in simple terms, is when a player negotiates their salary for the upcoming season with the team they currently play for and that team only. A player is only eligible for arbitration after three full years of service in the majors, and they can arrange new terms each year following until said player reaches free agency.
Now, the Houston Astros have starting pitcher Framber Valdez, whom they will more than likely try to lock down in free agency. But the team has its hands more than full with its arbitration list from the roster. They are tied for the second-most players in baseball with 16, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays with 17.
Key Players on the Astros Arbitration Docket
MLB Trade Rumors has perfected a model for guesstimating what a player could be looking at for this upcoming season. However, these numbers are not official by any means, rather an educated prediction based on playing time, position, team role, and states while taking into account inflation.
*Note* These 16 players have a combined projected total of $66.7M with Paredes and Peña making up 25.8% of it.
- 3B Isaac Paredes $9.3M
- SS Jeremy Peña $7.9M
- LF Jesús Sánchez $6.5M
- RP Bryan Abreu $5.9M
- 2B Mauricio Dubon $5.8M
- SP Hunter Brown $5.7M
- C Yainer Diaz $4.5M
- 2B Ramon Urias $4.4M
- CF Jake Meyers $$3.5M
- LF Chas McCormick $3.4M
- SP Luis Garcia $2.2M
- RP Enyel De Los Santos $2.1M
- RP Steven Okert $2M
- SP Hayden Wesneski $1.5M
- RP Bennett Sousa $1.1M
- CF Taylor Tammell $900k
The names that should immediately jump off the page for their impact in 2025 at the plate are Paredes, Peña and Diaz. The three combined for over 31% of the home runs and nearly 30% of the team’s RBI. Paredes played in just over 100 games, but was still tied with Diaz for the third most homers on the team to complement an .840 OPS.
Onto the pitching staff, it is Brown and Abreu who carried the workload. Brown was the lone starting pitcher with an ERA under 3.00 (minimum five starts) to go with his 206 strikeouts, which is why he is a finalist for this year’s CY Young Award.
Abreu was used the most out of the bullpen, which was easily the highlight of the Astros’ pitching staff this year. He was the lone relief pitcher with more than 100 strikeouts as he held opponents to a 1.96 batting average.
Houston’s management will be more than occupied during this offseason with both their current roster’s arbitration and the moves they need to make during free agency. They must make sure they do not find themselves on the outside looking in on the playoffs again next year.
