Astros rumor involves just two trade candidates thats good news for fans

TL;DR

The Houston Astros are struggling in the 2026 MLB season with a 16-27 record. Rumors suggest they may trade two players as they look to improve their chances.

Key points

Houston Astros have a 16-27 record in 2026
They are the worst team in the American League
Two players may be traded by the deadline

Houston Astros

Astros rumor involves just two trade candidates thats good news for fans originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 MLB season has not exactly gone to plan for the Houston Astros. They're 16-27, the worst record in the American League, and they're five games back of a Wild Card spot.

There is still time to turn the season around, but with Tatsuya Imai's struggles and a plethora of injuries to key players like Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Josh Hader, Jeremy Pena, and Yanier Diaz, things are not looking too great.

Fansided.com's Robert Murray, with the Astros struggles this season, called out the team as potential sellers this year. He also identified two players who could be on the move by this year's deadline.

"If Houston decides to sell, Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes are potential trade candidates," Murray reports.

Seeing the Astros sell would be a bitter pill to swallow for Astros fans, but in this report, the lack of inclusion of Yordan Alvarez is some good news for the fanbase.

Astros 2 rumored trade candidates is sigh of relief

While the Astros selling off some of their players would be a sign that 2026 is a failure, this report does at least offer fans some solace.

Paredes was in trade rumors for much of the offseason, being heavily linked to the Boston Red Sox at times. And Walker was someone the team was trying to trade, but struggled to find any takers after his rough 2025 season.

MORE: Roman Anthony might’ve been overhyped for Red Sox

Both would be sad departures, but compared to if the Astros dealt Alvarez, the Walker and Paredes trade rumors are a lot more palatable.

There have been some rumors lately about teams that could trade for Alvarez, or if the MVP-caliber slugger might even be available.

But, with Murray not even mentioning Alvarez as a potential trade chip for the Astros, with the focus solely on Paredes and Walker, it looks like fans can breathe a sigh of relief that Alvarez isn't going anywhere this season.