Braves acquire Gold Glover Dubón from Astros for Allen

The Atlanta Braves acquired utility player Mauricio Dubón from the Houston Astros in exchange for infielder Nick Allen, the teams announced Wednesday.

Dubón, 31, hit .241/.289/.355 with seven homers and 33 RBIs over 398 plate appearances with the Astros in 2025. However, he's more known for his stellar glovework across the diamond, having won the AL utility Gold Glove twice in the last three seasons.

Dubón played every position except for pitcher and catcher this past season, and posted positive defensive numbers at each spot en route to picking up his second Gold Glove. He racked up the most time at second base, where he accrued five defensive runs saved and eight outs above average in 318 innings, and was also worth eight outs above average at shortstop.

"We like the contact and the speed as well," Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said, according to Chandler Rome and David O'Brien of The Athletic. "So, just a good piece. You know, you're gonna need that over the course of the year. We've had a bunch of injuries the last few years and the fact that he does it and he's a phenomenal teammate, just a great fit for us."

In Atlanta, Dubón could potentially slot in as the Braves' everyday shortstop, while also moving around the diamond as needed to give some of their other everyday players some rest. The Braves are still trying to add another shortstop this winter, and re-signing Ha-Seong Kim - who was acquired late in the year before declining his player option to become a free agent - remains a possibility to return, according to O'Brien and Rome.

Dubón is a lifetime .257/.295/.374 hitter over parts of seven big-league seasons with three teams. The Honduran is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, and is projected by MLB Trade Rumors to earn $5.8 million in 2026.

The trade was Atlanta's second major move of the day, coming shortly after the team re-signed closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year deal.

Allen was the Braves' primary shortstop this past season and struggled offensively, hitting .221/.284/.251 with no home runs, 22 RBIs, and eight steals over 135 games. He was one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball, though, as his 12 DRS and 17 OAA both ranked third among qualified shortstops.

The 27-year-old owns a lifetime 55 OPS+ with nine homers over parts of four seasons with the Braves and Oakland Athletics. Defensively, he's put up 25 career DRS in 2,605 1/3 innings at shortstop, along with another four DRS at the keystone.

While not as versatile as Dubón, Allen does have some experience at both second and third base. He seems likely to take on a bigger utility role in Houston, where he could serve as a defensive replacement for either Carlos Correa at third or Jose Altuve at second, in addition to spelling both them and shortstop Jeremy Peña.

"I think it's a potential upside play," Astros general manager Dana Brown said of Allen, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "You're getting a little bit younger in your utility role. It's a former high pick, he's the speed package, he's a really good defender on the infield."

Swapping in Allen - a first-year arbitration-eligible player who's projected to earn $1.5 million in 2026 - for Dubón also creates some additional payroll space for the Astros. Houston is trying to free up additional room to pursue both a pitcher and left-handed bat while also remaining under the luxury tax, sources told Rome and O'Brien.

"We're trying to get creative in getting some pitching, and in doing so, pitching is going to cost, which is why people think (the trade) is a financial move," Brown said, per McTaggart. "(Owner) Jim Crane has always been dedicated and focused on spending money to make the team better."