The Houston Astros moved quickly to retain third baseman Isaac Paredes, exercising his $13.35 million club option for the 2027 season on Monday.
The decision, first reported by Chandler Rome of The Athletic and confirmed by the team, came as little surprise after the 27-year-old produced one of the stronger offensive campaigns of his career.
Paredes appeared in a career-high 155 games and batted .262/.360/.447 with 25 home runs, 27 doubles, a triple and 94 RBIs.
He walked at a 10.8 percent clip while striking out in a career-low 13.4 percent of his plate appearances, generating a roughly .807 OPS.
The production arrived in his second full season in Houston after arriving from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade.
Advanced metrics gave him mixed defensive grades at third base, yet he logged time at first and second as well and finished with roughly 4.0 WAR.
His swing meshed particularly well with Daikin Park’s dimensions. Paredes hit 14 of his 25 home runs in 324 plate appearances at home versus 11 in 335 plate appearances on the road, reflecting a pull-oriented, fly-ball approach that exploits the short left-field porch.
Financially the move also made sense for the club. Paredes earned $9.35 million in 2026 after avoiding arbitration, so the option represents a $4 million raise.
Had Houston declined it, he would have returned to the arbitration process for his final year of eligibility, where projections placed his salary near $15 million.
Exercising the option therefore locks in cost certainty while retaining a productive bat. The option can convert to a mutual option if Paredes finishes in the top 10 of American League MVP voting; results are expected later this month.
The retention leaves the Astros with the same infield congestion that marked last winter. Paredes joins Carlos Correa, Jeremy Peña, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker as five infielders competing for four spots.
Correa missed most of 2026 after an early ankle injury, which opened regular third-base work for Paredes, while Peña also dealt with early-season issues.
Both are now healthy, and each of Paredes, Peña and Walker is one year from free agency.
Newly hired general manager Randy Flores, the former Cardinals assistant GM, will face decisions about whether to trade from that depth to address other roster needs.
For now Paredes returns as a known quantity: a durable, selective hitter with power that plays well in Houston and enough positional flexibility to fit into several configurations. One more strong season would further strengthen his free-agent case after 2027.
