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The Houston Astros won't be making any big trades quite yet.
With their roster getting healthy, they're first going to see if they can get back in contention.
If they can't, though, one obvious trade candidate becomes shortstop Jeremy Pena.
The Astros previously tried to extend Pena past the end of his contract (2027) and didn't have any success. So it could be the time to sell on him if they aren't in the playoff picture by the deadline.
"If they do fall out of contention by the Trade Deadline, Peña becomes a possible trade chip," MLB.com's Brian McTaggart wrote as part of a new article on Sunday. "He will be a free agent after next season and has already turned down a contract offer to remain in Houston beyond 2027."
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The Astros are much like the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers so far this season -- underachievers who first want to try to get back in the race before they do anything too drastic.
"The Astros, who have gotten several stars back from the injured list in the past couple of weeks, still think they can make a run at the postseason now that they’re getting closer to full strength and are in a weak division, so it’s unlikely they would trade anyone from their Major League roster," McTaggart writes.
Pena never quite elevated his game to a massive level after some early hype, but he's certainly a starting-level shortstop.
Other teams could always use a shortstop, too, and there are multiple contenders who have a weak link there (with the Rays, Brewers and lesser-extent Yankees in mind).
Maybe Pena will end up in a different uniform by the end of the season.
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