Houston

Astros

The Alvarez versus Caminero debate was a scorching and divisive one for most of the summer, but Houston’s middle-of-the-order force seemingly did enough to hold off Tampa Bay’s rising superstar. Alvarez led the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, slashing .316/.432/.601 with 105 runs scored, a career-high 42 home runs and 106 RBI across 158 games. Caminero topped the 40-home run mark for the second consecutive season, leading the Rays to a remarkable 98-win season and another AL East division title.

Paredes, who was 12 days of service time shy of qualifying for free agency this winter, will make $13.35 million under the terms of the option he agreed to while avoiding arbitration. It’s possible he’ll be mentioned in trade rumors again this offseason, but Jeremy Peña and Christian Walker are also candidates to go as the Astros again look to make room for Carlos Correa.

Meyers elected free agency rather than accept the outright assignment. It became abundantly clear that his time with the organization was basically over when he was shipped to the minors following the emergence of Taylor Trammell in early July. He hit just .213 (30-for-131) with three homers in 57 games this past season.

Salazar has proven to be a capable emergency stopgap option behind the plate for Houston over the last couple years. The 30-year-old backstop gets a spot on the club’s 40-man roster to prevent him from being poached by another organization heading into the lockout.

Muñoz winds up with a spot on Houston’s 40-man roster heading into the offseason after being picked up from the Reds in the Rule 5 Draft last year. The 26-year-old reliever made just four appearances for the Astros before being shipped to Triple-A for the rest of the year in early April.

This is all about roster flexibility. Meyers is currently on the 60-day injured list with a fractured knee that he suffered in September, but all players are set to be activated off the 60-day injured list by the end of the day, so the Astros needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. They could look to sign the 30-year-old back on a minor league deal.

Ausmus previously managed the Tigers and Angels and has a 386-422 (.478) record in his five seasons. His first season with the Tigers in 2014 was his best season, and the only one in which Ausmus made the playoffs as a manager.

Astros’ new general manager Randy Flores wasted no time getting to work, acquiring the 27-year-old right-hander from the Rays. Reifert made 46 appearances at Triple-A Durham in 2026, registering a strong 2.48 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and an 81/34 K/BB ratio across 58 innings of work. He’ll get an opportunity to compete for a spot in the Astros’ bullpen during spring training.

It appears Randy Flores first deal since being named general manager will be to acquire Reifert. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the return will be cash considerations for the Rays. The right-hander was returned to Tampa Bay after the Nationals selected him in the Rule 5 draft prior to the 2026 season, but Washington chose not to carry him on the 40-man roster. He forged a 2.46 ERA for Triple-A Durham, and will have a chance to win a bullpen spot with the Astros this spring in Florida.

The news had been broken shortly before the announcement by Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo and Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The 51-year-old executive had spent the previous 11 seasons in the Cardinals’ organization — the last six of those working as their assistant general manager and director of scouting.