The Houston Astros entered the January 8 arbitration deadline with a clear goal: settle as many salary agreements as possible and avoid contentious hearings. Mission accomplished — for the most part. The club agreed to terms with nine of its 11 arbitration-eligible players, locking in key contributors on one-year deals for the 2026 season and providing early payroll clarity as the roster begins to take shape.
Among the headline deals:
Jeremy Peña — The Astros’ All-Star shortstop secured a $9.475 million contract in his second arbitration year, more than doubling his previous salary.
Hunter Brown — Coming off a breakout campaign and finishing third in AL Cy Young voting, the emerging ace agreed to a $5.71 million deal.
Bryan Abreu — Houston’s veteran reliever settled at roughly $5.85 million, circumventing a hearing and keeping bullpen stability intact.
Also avoiding arbitration were Jesús Sánchez ($6.8 M), Nick Allen ($1.4 M), Jake Meyers ($3.55 M), Hayden Wesneski ($975,000), and Bennett Sousa ($910,000), giving the Astros a strong base of controllable talent under contract.
Avoiding arbitration isn’t just about dollars — it’s about relationships and momentum. Arbitration hearings require teams and players to make competing cases about value, often involving statistics and past performance. Both sides generally prefer to agree beforehand to preserve good faith and clubhouse cohesion.
For a veteran club like Houston — constantly balancing playoff contention with cost management — reaching deals early eliminates uncertainty and allows the front office to shift focus to free agency, trades, and roster construction.
While most of the arbitration class agreed to terms, two notable Astros did not reach settled contracts:
Isaac Paredes — The infielder and former All-Star remains without an agreement after filing for $9.95 million against the team’s $8.75 million offer.
Yainer Díaz — The team and catcher couldn’t align on a figure, setting the stage for an arbitration hearing in February. Reports say that the team and Diaz were over a million dollars apart.
Both players are still expected to be with the Astros in 2026, barring any blockbuster trades or other roster moves, but arbitration panels will now determine their final salaries unless a deal is reached beforehand.
With nine agreements secured, Houston has largely cleared the arbitration hurdle and can now pivot to broader roster decisions. Locking in key contributors early helps the front office plan financial commitments around star players and emerging talent, while minimizing off-field distractions as Spring Training approaches.
The two remaining cases — and how they resolve — will be among the first notable arbitration showdowns of the 2026 cycle. For now, though, the Astros avoided hearings with the majority of their group, reflecting cooperative negotiations and a front office focused on strategic stability.