Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes Mysteriously Absent From Astros Fan Fest

Walker and Paredes might be on the move since they're not on the Astros Fan Fest list.

Paredes and Walker are giving high-fives. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros fan fest is scheduled to be on Saturday, January 24th. Fans all across Houston can join in on the festivities by purchasing a Daikin Park ticket and arrive at the park, with the possibility of being on the field, playing catch, batting cages, a player Q&A with the kids, and taking pictures with the players.

Here are the Astros players scheduled to appear at FanFest on Saturday at Daikin Park. pic.twitter.com/Hezfe8BOnu

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 22, 2026

Notable players included above are mostly everyday players, including Jeremy Pena, Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Lance McCullers Jr., Hunter Brown, and Yordan Alvarez. Each of them has participated in historical Astros moments along with donning the Astros uniform for more than four seasons.

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Aside from the mainstays, the players attending Fan Fest haven't made much of an Astros impact. Some have minimal MLB appearances, with most of their playing time in AAA Sugar Land.

Few Astros Not On Fan Fest List

Houston Astros center fielder Jake Meyers. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Yet, if you look closely, longtime outfielder Jake Meyers isn't on there. While there's not much speculation in that, he just avoided arbitration and signed a one-year contract, expecting to assume center field duties heading into Opening Day.

Fellow outfielder Jesus Sanchez isn't on the list. He's been linked to multiple trade talks, given his lack of contribution on the Astros in a short stint last season.

But if you look closer, you'll find out that two key players in the lineup aren't on the list: Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker.

Paredes and Walker

It's no secret why both Paredes and Walker aren't included in the Fan Fest. Imagine both of them attended during the Q&A for kids portion of the event and God forbid a kid asks either Paredes or Walker questions about them being traded. Surely the Astros front office wouldn't want that!

Isaac Paredes | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Rumors have circled around Paredes this offseason that he has been heavily linked to trade talks with the Boston Red Sox. While Walker's trade value is next to nothing, the Astros are still open to shop their struggling first baseman.

Christian Walker | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Walker's first year with the Astros was underwhelming, hitting .238 with a 97 OPS+, scraping barely over 0 WAR, and striking out 177 times in 154 games. Turning 35 in March with no hope of a resurgence, finding a suitor for the first baseman would solve lots of infield headaches, thereby keeping a 26-year-old Paredes and sliding him to first base.

Paredes is undoubtedly a good player, but where will he play? His stellar 2025 campaign sporting a .254 AVG and a 123+ OPS with an 11.4% walk rate in 96 games was cut short due to a torn hamstring.

"Esock," is currently playing well in the Mexican Pacific Winter League slashing .292 AVG with a .500 OBP in 9 games, and the Astros would love to have their patient pull hitter in the lineup. He's also very valuable, given Houston's rationale for trading him.

Having him off the Fan Fest player list was predictable, given that he and the Astros collectively failed to agree on a salary for him, as his arbitration hearing will be held in February. Houston has less than a month to decide to agree on a salary or trade him for value.

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