The Houston Astros have their eyes on a deep run in October but there are some questions they’ll have to answer this winter. Houston did a great job of acquiring controllable talent at the trade deadline as infielder Ramón Urias, outfielder Jesús Sánchez and shortstop Carlos Correa are under team control for multiple seasons. But they still have a few free agents that could be in their final year in Houston.
That includes one veteran that has taken an important role on the team. But he’ll need to have a strong second half in order to keep himself in the Astros’ plans.
Astros C Victor Caratini Will Be Playing for a Job Over the Final Two Months
Victor Caratini has been a solid part of the Astros’ lineup over the past two years. But he may be on his way out of Houston if he can’t continue to produce down the stretch.
A career .245/.321/.373 hitter, Caratini has found a way to improve at the plate after signing a two-year, $12 million contract before the 2024 season, hitting .271/.329/.419 with 18 homers and 67 RBI since arriving in Houston. The 32-year-old also is having one of the best years of his career, hitting .272/.322/.429 with 10 homers and 37 RBI in 81 games this season.
The Astros know all about depth and Caratini’s veteran presence could be counted on if he returns this winter. But there are also a few things that could punch his ticket out of Houston.
The first is Caratini’s defensive performance. While he logged three defensive runs saved in his first season with the Astros, he’s posted a minus-4 in that metric this season. Baseball Savant has also noticed a regression in his defensive performance, going from plus-5 to minus-5 in their fielding run value metric. With one of the worst pop times (2.05 seconds) and framing performances (minus-4) in the majors, it could be a sign of regression.
The other factor is that Caratini could be squeezed out by what’s around him. Yainer Diaz has had his share of defensive struggles with a minus-4 in defensive runs saved and a minus-10 in fielding run value this season. But he’s five years younger, has a better offensive profile and is under team control through the 2028 season.
The Astros also have César Salazar in the minor leagues and could use him as a bridge for No. 2 prospect Walker Janek, who MLB Pipeline projects to make his major league debut in 2027.
KPRC2’s Ari Alexander believes that the Astros could retain Caratini for two years and $14 million. But with options on the roster, it would take a massive second half in order to justify that price and keep him in Houston.