2 Astros Players Projected to Sign One-Year Deals in Free Agency

The Houston Astros have several decisions to make when it comes to building this roster, especially on the free agency side, with new GM Randy Flores having to make decisions on who stays and who leaves.

Speaking of free agency, the latest projection of the top MLB free agents and their salaries suggests that two Astros players could be signing one-year deals.

On that note, ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel did rankings and contract and contract projections for the top 50 2026-2027 MLB free agents and when it came to the Astros he projected outfielder Daulton Varsho and pitcher Bryan Abreu in the top 50 and that they would each sign a one-year deal in free agency.

Starting with Varsho, McDaniel ranked Varsho as the No. 35 free agent for this offseason and said that he would sign a one-year $15 million contract.

For Varsho, it is not necessarily a surprise that he is projected to sign a one-year deal, as after being traded to Houston at the deadline, he did not shine like many hoped, as he finished with a batting average of .221, and McDaniel also noted that overall, Varsho's performance was not impressive.

With that said, it does appear that Varsho could be looking at signing a one-year deal this free agency in hopes of earning a multi-year contract next offseason with a strong performance.

It is important to note that Varsho will be 30 years old heading into 2027, so he is not on the younger side, and as far as fits go, McDaniel mentioned teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, who are both great at development and are typically lower in payroll.

Transitioning to Abreu, McDaniel opted to rank his as the No. 48 free agent in this class and projected him to sign a one-year $10.5 million deal.

During the 2026 season, Abreu was not as good as he hoped, as he did have his ups and downs, but as McDaniel mentioned, Abreu was one of the best relievers in the MLB in 2025, so he definitely has the talent, he just has to find the consistency, which he was not able to do during the 2026 season.

When it comes to Abreu's age, he is 22 years old, so he has plenty of time to develop and get back to his 2025 form which is possible, especially if he has a good offseason and is able to find a destination where he can maximize his strengths. McDaniel also talked about the fact that if a team does believe in Abreu, they could sign him to a two-year deal, but it will depend on the situation.

All that to say, this is going to be a very interesting free agency and overall offseason for the Astros as well as Varsho and Abreu, to see if those two players are a part of Houston's 2027 plans on possible prove-it deals, or if Flores elects to move on and find solutions from outside the organization.

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