Astros exercise Isaac Paredes club option; Jake Meyers elects free agency after being outrighted

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The Houston Astros exercised the $13.35 million club option for third baseman Isaac Paredes, keeping him under contract for the 2027 season. The team’s announcement stated that the option would become a mutual option if Paredes finishes in the Top 10 in American League MVP voting, which will be announced next week. Either outcome leaves Paredes contracted to Houston for ’27 after a 2026 season in which he hit .262 with 25 home runs, 94 RBIs, and an .807 OPS in 155 games. The Astros’ decision also comes with a familiar roster balancing issue tied to their infield depth. MLB’s account of the move notes that Houston tried to trade Paredes last offseason to address an infield logjam, a situation that eased during the 2026 season when Carlos Correa suffered an ankle injury in May and missed the remainder of the year. With Correa set to return healthy in 2027, the Astros face the same positional calculation as they shape their roster for the coming season. In additional offseason contract and roster decisions, the Astros declined to pick up the $5 million option for right-hander Ryan Weiss and instead will pay him a $500,000 buyout. MLB’s report states that Weiss spent the previous two seasons pitching in Korea before returning to Houston, and that he posted a 7.62 ERA across 26 innings with the Astros in 2026. Weiss was designated for assignment in June. The organization also addressed its bullpen plans through the status of right-hander Tatsuya Imai. MLB’s report says Imai, who signed a three-year, $54 million contract in January, opted into the final year of that deal for 2027, worth $18 million. The Astros’ right-hander appeared in 23 games (15 starts) last season, finishing 6–4 with a 4.93 ERA. Outfielder Jake Meyers, meanwhile, elected free agency after Houston outrighted him from the 40-man roster. MLB’s account says Meyers had been with the Astros for 494 games in center field since the start of the 2021 season, more than double the total for any other player in the same role span. The team’s move placed Meyers in a position to choose his next club after the outright. MLB also reported that the outright of Meyers took place within a broader set of roster actions announced under new general manager Randy Flores. According to the same report, the Astros selected right-hander Roddery Muñoz and catcher César Salazar to the 40-man roster and acquired right-handed pitcher Evan Reifert from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash. Reifert was added to the 40-man roster, which was at 39 players at the time. Reifert, 27, spent the 2026 season at Triple-A Durham within the Rays organization. MLB’s report states that he posted a 2.48 ERA in 46 appearances, including three starts, and recorded 81 strikeouts in 58 innings. It also notes that opponents hit .180 against him. The acquisition gives Houston added depth to its pitching pool as it continues offseason roster planning. For Meyers, the 2026 season included time on the injured list. MLB’s report says he hit .213 with three home runs in 57 games for Houston and missed more than a month with a right oblique strain. It adds that he spent most of the year at Triple-A Sugar Land before a knee fracture ended his season in mid-September. In past seasons, the report indicates Meyers had a consistent role as Houston’s center fielder on Opening Day in each of the last four seasons, and his best statistical year with the Astros came in 2025 when he hit .292 in 104 games. With his free agency election, Houston’s next center-field look will be determined by how the Astros address the opening created by the roster move, while Paredes’ situation remains anchored by the option decision and the potential MVP-driven mutual option mechanism for 2027.

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