Trading Yainer Diaz Could Be on the Table for Astros This Offseason

The Houston Astros are watching playoff baseball for the first time since 2016.

While no one in the building likely wants to admit it, missing the postseason seems to be the sign that the Golden Era of Astros baseball is officially over, especially after they were swept out of the Wild Card round by the upstart Detroit Tigers last year.

Houston will attempt to get things back on track going forward, and this winter will be their first opportunity to do so. But how they go about constructing their roster and if they are going to make aggressive changes isn't clear.

Who will be making the decisions -- at least in name -- is Dana Brown. It was revealed that both he and manager Joe Espada will be back in 2026, which keeps some level of continuity going into next season as those upcoming decisions are made.

And while the pitching staff and logjam in the infield are getting a ton of attention when it comes to some of the first things that need to be addressed, it sounds like a shake-up at catcher could be coming this winter.

Could Astros Trade Yainer Diaz?

Brown already expressed his desire to re-sign Victor Caratini, the backup catcher who has had his best years with the Astros. His ability to be an effective pinch-hitter and fill in behind the plate and at first base has been valuable, especially for the low cost he's projected to have.

But when it comes to the starting position, Yainer Diaz's future is not so clear in the mind of Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

"They could opt to trade starter Yainer Diaz, whose defensive limitations and free-swinging approach are a hindrance. He has value offensively, but the Astros need to improve at the position on defense. Brown said they want to re-sign switch-hitting catcher Victor Caratini, who's a free agent, and adding a better defender behind the plate could help improve the pitching staff as a whole," he wrote.

That would be a shocking turn of events if Houston did move Diaz this winter. There were many in the organization who were frustrated with previous manager Dusty Baker's decision to play Martin Maldonado over Diaz, with that friction reportedly playing a part in the legendary skipper stepping away.

Catchers who rake! 😤#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/lOB47VKPUG
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 28, 2025

Diaz took over as the full-time catcher in 2024, and he responded with a solid season by slashing .299/.325/.441 with an OPS+ of 116. He also hit 16 home runs, had 48 extra-base hits and 84 RBIs, appearing like he was the catcher of the future.

However, things tailed off this year. He slashed .256/.284/.417 and had an OPS+ that was eight points below the league average of 100. While he did hit 20 home runs, he was not as productive with just 70 RBIs and also saw his average exit velocity and hard hit rate dip.

Combining that with an already-poor defensive profile -- minus-5 in career fielding run value and minus-11 in framing value -- is not a good recipe when it comes to having sustained success at catcher in the bigs.

So if the Astros feel like one of the only ways they can upgrade their pitching staff is to trade from their current group of major league players, then using the high-upside offensive catcher that is Diaz could be on the table for them this winter.

While it seems unlikely, Houston has to do whatever it takes to get back into contender status. And that might include trading someone they believed was the catcher of their future.

Could Astros Trade Yainer Diaz?

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