Astros Spring Training Showdown! One Positional Battle Still Up for Grabs
The Houston Astros are going to look a lot different with their defensive alignment in 2025 than they have in recent years.
Two stalwarts are no longer with the team; right fielder Kyle Tucker and third baseman Alex Bregman.
The former was traded to the Chicago Cubs in a stunning offseason blockbuster, while the latter signed a three-year, $120 million deal to join the Boston Red Sox in free agency.
Those are two massive voids in the lineup that will need to be filled.
Helping at third base will be veteran Isaac Paredes, who was part of the return package from the Cubs. A dead pull-hitter, his swing fits Daikin Park with the short porch created by the Crawford Boxes in left field.
Helping compensate for the loss of Tucker in the outfield will be former MVP Jose Altuve, who is transitioning to life as a left fielder this spring.
There were talks of Altuve moving to the grass as part of a contingency plan if the team was able to retain Bregman, which would have created a logjam on the infield depth chart.
Even without the two-time All-Star coming back into the fold, the Astros have decided to go through with their plans of moving their star second baseman to the outfield, now creating a hole to fill in the infield.
That positional battle rages on and is the most important one that the team needs to settle over the next few weeks in the opinion of Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
The leader in the clubhouse right now for the starting job on Opening Day is Mauricio Dubon. But, having him hold down the keystone on an every day basis could be detrimental to the team as it would eliminate the best asset he offers; his versatility.
Dubon logged innings at every position in the field in 2024 except for catcher and pitcher. That would be a major blow to manager Joe Espada’s game plans throughout the campaign to not have him to move around as a chess piece.
There are three veterans vying for the spot whom Houston brought into camp as non-roster invitees; Luis Guillorme, Brendon Rodgers and Zack Short.
Guillorme and Short offer some versatility of their own, logging playing time at third base and shortstop in their careers. That could help offset Dubon handling most of the work at the keystone.
But, the highest-upside of the group likely lies with Rodgers, who was a Gold Glove winner with the Colorado Rockies in 2022.
The No. 3 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft hasn’t lived up to those expectations, but he does offer the highest ceiling of the three participants.
