Barring a trade the Astros are estimated to be around $218M in payroll for 2026. This includes estimates for arbitration players.

They will be around $26M under the competitive balance tax threshold, which could be enough for a starting pitcher or batter.

Justin Verlander is possible.

A trade for Brendan Donovan is a priority.

The Astros want to go into the season with $5M-$10M in tax space for adding players later.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax