It’s been a whirlwind offseason for the Astros. While Houston isn’t rebuilding by any stretch, it’s fair to call this something of a transitional winter. They’ve traded an MVP-caliber outfielder (Kyle Tucker) to the Cubs and appear likely to part ways with a cornerstone of their World Series teams (Alex Bregman) in free agency. Justin Verlander is in San Francisco. Longtime closer Ryan Pressly followed Tucker to Wrigleyville in a separate trade. With those names out the door (or likely out the door, in Bregman’s case), the ’Stros have brought in Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Hayden Wesneski and their new top prospect, Cam Smith.
Owner Jim Crane has maintained that the club has the “wherewithal” to match last year’s spending (i.e. pay the luxury tax) in the right scenario and for the right player. Presumably, with Houston leaving its six-year, $156MM offer to Bregman on the table — even after acquiring Paredes and Walker and even as Bregman seeks lengthier/larger contracts elsewhere — Crane feels a Bregman reunion is such a scenario/player. However, general manager Dana Brown said yesterday that he hasn’t recently talked to agent Scott Boras and used the past tense when talking to the Astros beat about Bregman (video via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com). A reunion doesn’t seem likely.
In that same media availability, Brown continued to voice his hope to acquire a left-handed bat — ideally in the outfield:
“We’re trying to get a left-handed bat for the outfield,” said Brown. “Most of the options are slim to none, but we’re still working through it and grinding to get some left-handed at-bats in our outfield.”
Cynics will point out that Houston had one of the best left-handed hitters in all of baseball (Tucker) and traded him to the Cubs — although doing so brought them multiple years of control over their new third baseman (Paredes), their potential fifth starter (Wesneski) and their new top prospect (Smith). Tucker wasn’t likely to sign an extension, and the ’Stros undoubtedly received more long-term value than they’d have garnered with a compensatory draft pick by simply letting Tucker reach free agency. That long-term value comes at the cost of a lesser 2025 roster but could well prove to be the best play in the long run.
Regardless of how one feels about the Tucker trade, he’s gone and won’t factor into this year’s roster. That leaves the Astros with a heavily right-handed lineup. Paredes, Walker, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, Yainer Diaz, Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick all bat from the right side. Yordan Alvarez is the lone left-handed bat assured to be in the lineup.
On top of that general lack of lefties, the Astros also more broadly lack certainty in the outfield. Meyers plays great defense but is a .222/.290/.369 hitter over the past two seasons. McCormick is coming off a career-worst .211/.271/.306 batting line. The other outfield spot, as things stand, projects to be filled by a combination of utilityman Mauricio Dubon and DFA pickup/former top prospect Taylor Trammell. Houston can hope that a combination of Kenedy Corona, Pedro Leon, Jacob Melton, Quincy Hamilton and Cooper Hummel can factor into the outfield puzzle, but no one from that group is close to established in the majors. Leon’s stock is down considerably from when he was Houston’s top prospect. Melton is still well-regarded but didn’t hit all that well in last year’s Triple-A debut.
Even if someone from that group steps up, the Astros arguably need better outfield options. Alvarez played 53 games in left field last year, and manager Joe Espada said this week that the club hopes to reduce that number significantly in 2025, so more time on the grass for the team’s top slugger isn’t the answer. One injury or continued offensive decline for Meyers or McCormick could lead to a disastrous outfield setup.
It all leaves the Astros in a tough spot. They’re about $4.75MM shy of the $241MM luxury tax threshold, per RosterResource, with an owner who seemingly doesn’t want to cross that line for anything other than a Bregman reunion (at the Astros’ price rather than Bregman’s price). There are some free agents who could fit the bill, but would they sign for under $5MM? That’s far less clear.
Let’s run through some potential options.
Free Agents
Jason Heyward: The Astros got a decent run out of Heyward after the Dodgers cut him loose. He appeared in 24 games and hit .218/.283/.473 with four big flies in just 61 plate appearances. Heyward still plays a strong right field, but he’s coming off an overall .211/.288/.412 showing last year. He and McCormick could form a platoon, but Heyward only has 73 plate appearances versus lefties over the past three seasons combined. He shouldn’t face them. Given his age (35), marginal 2024 showing and platoon splits, it seems plausible that the Astros could sign him for something similar to Ramon Laureano’s $4MM in Baltimore and keep themselves under the tax line.
David Peralta: The 37-year-old Peralta hit .267/.335/.415 for the Padres in 2024, with about 90% of his plate appearances coming against right-handed pitching. As with Heyward, he’s a veteran in the twilight of his career who’d require strict platooning. That said, Peralta has consistently hit right-handed pitching, with the 2023 season standing as the lone exception of note in recent years. He bounced back nicely in 2024 after signing minor league deals with the Cubs and Padres. A big league deal with a small enough guarantee to comfortably remain under the luxury tax at least feels plausible.
Eddie Rosario: After four productive years as a regular in Minnesota, Rosario has alternated between league-average offense and bottom-of-the-scale production, in every-other-year fashion, from 2021-24. He posted exact 100 wRC+ marks in ’21 and ’23 but hit .212/.259/.328 (63 wRC+) in 2022 and .175/.215/.316 (45 wRC+) in 2024. A minor league deal with a low base salary seems to be the likely outcome here. The Astros could swing that, but there’s zero guarantee that the 33-year-old Rosario can bounce back from that woeful ’24 showing. Over his past 1517 MLB plate appearances, he’s hitting .231/.278/.396 (82 wRC+).
Alex Verdugo: Still just 28 years old, Verdugo picked a poor time to have a career-worst season. He hit just .233/.291/.356 as the Yankees’ regular left fielder last year, and that came despite a blistering start to the season. From mid-May onward, Verdugo fell into an interminable slump and ranked as one of the game’s least effective hitters. In Verdugo’s final 480 plate appearances, he posted a .221/.270/.330 slash. That’s 31% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+. Verdugo is very likely looking at a one-year deal, but he made $8.7MM last season, so a cut to less than $5MM is probably a hard sell. Plus, most teams with interest in Verdugo are likely willing to include incentives to boost whatever base salary he accepts. For the Astros, such an arrangement might push them north of the tax line again.
Plausible Trade Options
To be clear, this isn’t an exhaustive list of every left-handed bat the Astros could pursue — nor is it necessarily a collection of high-impact, cost-effective prospects. Sure, the Astros would probably love to pry Heston Kjerstad away from the Orioles, but short of offering up a compelling top-of-the-rotation arm like Framber Valdez — which doesn’t at all seem like something Houston is considering/has considered — a prospect of that caliber isn’t likely to be available. Some of these names have, and surely will again, already come up in trade talks, but broadly speaking this is a speculative list of potential fits who’d check some boxes for Houston.
James Outman, Dodgers: Outman was one of the Dodgers’ top-ranked prospects a few years back but hasn’t been able to overcome his penchant for strikeouts. The outfield in L.A. no longer has room for him. Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto look likely to start there, and even if Edman shifts to the infield, Andy Pages has leapfrogged Outman on the depth chart.
Outman posted a miserable .147/.256/.265 slash in 156 plate appearances with the Dodgers last season but slashed .248/.353/.437 in 567 turns at the plate the year prior. He hit .279/.390/.543 in Triple-A last year. Outman has a minor league option remaining, so the Dodgers don’t need to be in any rush to trade him. He’s nice depth to have on hand. But he’s also 27 going on 28 (in May), not in the team’s immediate plans, and has fast-rising prospects Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope climbing the minor league ranks behind him.
Jesus Sanchez, Marlins: After a brief run of trying to compete, the Marlins are back to teardown mode — perhaps even more so than at any point in recent history. They traded 10 big leaguers last year between Opening Day and the deadline, and they’ve shipped out Jesus Luzardo this offseason as well.
Sanchez, earning $4.5MM this year, is one of two players on Miami’s active roster earning more than $2MM. (Ace and likely summer trade chip Sandy Alcantara, at $17MM, is the other.) Since he’d effectively be replacing a league-minimum player, he’d be a net $3.75MM add to the team’s luxury bill, allowing Houston to stay under the tax line. Sanchez has subpar plate discipline and can’t hit lefties. He also has enormous raw power and elite batted-ball metrics. He’s only an average runner but nonetheless swiped 16 bags in 18 tries this past season. Since 2023, the 27-year-old is hitting .252/.319/.431 with 32 homers in 931 plate appearances. He’s a solid, if unremarkable right field defender and is under club control through 2027. With the Marlins in a rebuild, Sanchez could be had for prospects.
LaMonte Wade Jr., Giants: Wade is probably a stretch as a regular outfielder. He ranks among the game’s slowest runners, sitting with seventh percentile sprint speed, per Statcast, and the Giants haven’t played him on the grass even semi-regularly since 2021-22. The Astros have a grounder-heavy rotation, though, and the short left field porch at the newly renamed Daikin Park inherently reduces the amount of ground Houston left fielders need to cover (especially relative to Oracle Park in San Francisco).
Wade excels in two key areas, however. He hits right-handed pitching and, more broadly, he gets on base. Wade has walked in nearly 13% of his career plate appearances. That includes a 14% clip across the past three seasons and a massive 15.5% mark in 2024. He’s a lifetime .251/.359/.431 hitter against righties. Wade is earning $5MM in 2025, his last year before free agency. The Astros can probably shoehorn him into the payroll and narrowly duck under the tax line. He’s lined up to be the Giants’ primary first baseman in 2025, but the Giants have listened on Wade this winter and there are first base alternatives still on the market that San Francisco could pursue if they receive an offer to their liking for Wade.
Jack Suwinski, Pirates: Similar to Outman, Suwinski is a strikeout-prone lefty who had an encouraging 2023 showing (26 homers, .224/.339/.454, 112 wRC+) before tanking in 2024. The Bucs opened 2024 with Suwinski locked into their outfield but optioned him multiple times amid a disastrous .182/.264/.324 performance at the plate. Part of Suwinski’s struggles were BABIP related, as he hit just .225 on balls in play, but poor luck doesn’t tell the whole story. He saw notable drops in his excellent batted-ball metrics from ’23 and saw his ground-ball rate skyrocket from 27.9% to 46.4%. Even with above-average speed, that’s a bad trend for a pull-heavy lefty.
The Bucs still have one unsettled outfield spot, and Suwinski will be in the mix barring a late acquisition. Strikeouts are an issue, but Suwinski walks a lot (career 12.1%), runs well and is a passable, albeit slightly below-average left fielder. He hasn’t reached arbitration yet, so salary isn’t an issue.
Jake Fraley, Reds: There’s no urgency for the Reds to move Fraley, but he’s a moderately priced ($3.125MM) lefty who’s controlled through 2026 and could feasibly net Cincinnati a bullpen option in a trade. Fraley is a career .264/.346/.440 hitter against righties. He runs and throws well but still draws only average (or slightly below) grades for his glovework in right field. The Reds recently added Austin Hays on a one-year deal. They now have Hays, TJ Friedl, Gavin Lux, Spencer Steer and Stuart Fairchild as big league outfield options, with Rece Hinds, Blake Dunn and Will Benson on the 40-man roster and likely Triple-A bound. They could afford to move Fraley for some relief help.
Andrew Benintendi, White Sox: Maybe we’ve reached the point of silliness here. Benintendi is owed $47.5MM over the next three seasons and hasn’t panned out at all since signing a five-year deal with the South Siders. That said, he quietly batted .251/.326/.470 (124 wRC+) with 16 homers over his final 322 plate appearances. Would the White Sox eat a (significant) portion of the contract to move on? Would they take back an underwater contract like Rafael Montero (still with the organization after being outrighted, still owed $11.5MM) or erstwhile top starter Lance McCullers Jr. ($34MM through 2026)? Calling Benintendi any sort of a solution is an extreme stretch, but he finished nicely in 2024, is still only 30 and was a quality all-around performer as recently as 2022.
Longer Shots
There are ample names to consider around the league, but many would require the Astros to part with talent from their current big league roster. The D-backs have received interest in Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas this winter — likely some from the Astros — but both will play big league roles, with McCarthy in particular looking like a starter for a win-now Arizona club. The Cardinals don’t have a great spot for Alec Burleson other than DH but also have no reason to consider moving him unless they’re getting meaningful prospects in return. Atlanta’s signing of Jurickson Profar leaves Jarred Kelenic without an everyday role once Ronald Acuña Jr. returns, but the Braves are probably reluctant to move on after engineering a convoluted series of salary-driven trades to acquire/purchase Kelenic last offseason.
There are countless scenarios to draw up, but the bottom line is that Houston faces an uphill battle in adding a credible left-handed bat to its outfield group if Crane remains intent on staying under the tax threshold for anyone other than Bregman.
“Can Astros find their left handed bat?”…This is just a guess and may be a bit too obvious, but has anyone checked the batting rack, where they usually keep their bats?
It’s hard to tell them apart from the right handed bats sometimes.
I know this is likely presented as a joke, but reading it literally just left me feeling vaguely uncertain.
The Astros don’t have a MLB caliber outfielder on their roster at this very moment, so for their sake I hope they do something. Hard to win when you have the worst outfield in baseball.
I’ll predict that they will be one of the teams in on Luis Robert during Spring Training. I feel like the White Sox are going to ship him off before Opening Day like they did Cease last year.
They really ought to trade Valdez, I don’t really understand why they traded Tucker. We have plenty of starting pitching. Relying on McCormick/Meyers/Dubon/Trammell/Leon is idiocy
If you “don’t understand why they tarded Tucker” you have not been paying attention. This article clearly outlines the long term benefits of the trade.
ok lol my bad fuhrer
Astros don’t have the trading pieces to put together a Robert trade. I mean, I believe other teams could put together more enticing offerings.
They can but I’m predicting Sox come off their very high asking price and move him in Spring Training.
Robert’s not that cheap. Options are really real $. Injuries. Bad 2024. I don’t think it would take anything the Astros couldn’t come up with while keeping their 2 elite prospects. Sox might have too high opinion on him though.
Quick look that hit data is good. Change of scenery winning could help. Options what 20 ome million? That’s some $. Maybe you trade the big 2 if you aren’t in love. Can always get prospect back as well. But 3 or 4 top 20 guys and or a young mlb piece could get it done. Chicago I read or heard wants 1 stud so dunno
But spring training is almost here. They didn’t get what they want. They want to settle for quantity or keep him and pay him. I don’t think they really want to pay him.
Kyle Tucker would look pretty good in the middle of that lineup.
I’m still not sure why Tucker was traded. Makes them a weaker team. Hopefully Seattle can finally get over the Hump this year
I’ll repeat until everyone knows. Same reason Soto was traded twice. Extend or trade. Even a pick after the 1st round isn’t enough for an elite player but later picks are absolutely nothing. You have to get a return.
So many people can’t seem to follow the logic.
Worked out fine for SD as well. And they still have Cease King while Soto is gone. If Yankees didn’t make it far would it still look as good or even close? What if he got hurt? Result was great sure. And it was a alright trade when made. Question shouldn’t be what’s better for NY CHI but for HOU SD. Soto would be gone and there’s not Cease King just some crummy draft pick. They needed pitching more than Soto.
Milwaukee Hader Burnes long gone yet they still have lots to show for them for years after.
It’s mind boggling why folks dont get it. If you’ve got no shot to extend a player like this, and Tucker is indeed elite, you have to max out his value.
The same will happen with Vlad as soon as that extension offer is rejected.
Tbh, the Mets should have traded Peter after he rejected their offer. He was borderline elite still at that point.
SD has more $ than if they paid Soto arbitration. They could trade Cease King for pun intended kings ransom. Would cut payroll as well. Playoffs are random. Even superteam Dodgers likely won’t win world series every year.
BITA, You keep making comparisons to other teams and other players, but every situation is different, The Yankees and Soto, are more comparable to the Cubs and Tucker, not the Astro’s and Tucker. The Yankees had the resources, and a reasonable hope of extending, or re-signing Soto. Neither is the case with the Astro’s.
The Astro’s and Tucker are more comparable to the Padres and Soto, since the Padres, like the Astro’s, did not have the resources, nor a reasonable hope of keeping their soon to be FA.. So they did what the Astro’s did, they maximized the return.
Bregman trade and Soto trade 2 had proven mlb players and prospects ready for mlb audition.
Soto 1 Nationals clear rebuild ready prospects.
Now if HOU SD had a young player to replace they could trade for mostly prospects and still contend. And they are contending now. I like Houston best to win west without Tucker. 1 player doesn’t make enough difference unless it’s a ace in a playoff game.
Actually Tucker trade kept their window open. If you keep making trades like this you don’t have windows. Parades 25 26 27. Smith until 2030. Smith could be ready this year. Opening day even but why start clock and get him more seasoning. But if not ready oh well. Paredes replaces Bregman. Walker replaces Tucker. Probably slight drop off but they can afford it and make it up somewhere else. Last year they had just a guy at 1b this year just a guy in RF. Off season ain’t over yet either.
Saying the Astros could sign Tucker if they wanted to is what’s total nonsense. It’s the very reason why they traded him. Whether they can actually afford him or not is for the owner, and their accountant to know for sure. But everything they’ve done in the past suggests they can’t. Clearly they couldn’t, or didn’t want to pay Tucker what he’ll be offered once he’s a FA, whatever the reason.
Your saying they could afford him goes counter to every thing to they’ve ever done. It’s totally out of character for them to offer anything close to what Tucker will command. You saying they could afford him, doesn’t make it so. You’re trying to revise history to suit your narrative.
To your point BITA, the Astros didn’t trade Springer or Correa, 2 very comparable players just as valuable to the team.
“The Cubs can’t sign Tucker any easier than the Astros can.”
Wrong. The Cubs have the ability to offer a $400M deal. The Astro’s don’t, at least according to them, and that’s all that matters.
thickiedon, It’s still a different situation from when they kept those guys. When they didn’t trade Springer and Correa they were retaining a core of those two with Bregman and Altuve. They also had some older player that were still productive like Greinke, and Brantley. That’s a reasonable core to win a WS title. They went to the WS in Springer’s next to last year, and then again in Correa’s last season.
The Astro’s internal assessment might have decided their chances weren’t as good in 2025. Clearly the roster isn’t nearly as strong as it was in 2020 and 2021.
And what none of us know is what kind of return they could’ve gotten from trading them. Maybe they would have if the offers had been better. As fans, we know little of what goes on behind what’s in public view. It’s just not that simple to make comparisons like they didn’t trade player X, so why trade player Y.
“I just don’t understand:…You may be overthinking. The Astros are very near their comfort level on salary & budget.
Kyle Tucker is a top level talent who will command a $200M+ contact. The Astros clearly don’t believe they can afford or sign Tucker and decided to trade him rather than get a qualifying offer pick after the season.
They apparently feel Bregman is more attainable and signable and have left a rather sizable offer on the table indefinitely him.
Extend or trade. There’s no keeping and leaving for nothing. Smith is a 1b DH. In Houston though he could be LF. But Cassie isn’t a good outfielder and a riskier bat with more power. Why take a lesser prospect?
Cubs might be willing to extend or sign him. Smith Paredes has much more value to Houston than Chicago because of their LF. As does the pitcher because Houston probably thinks they can out develop Chicago on him. Smith can play outfield in Houston not so much in Chicago. Parades can hit hrs in Houston not so much in Chicago. They were just the perfect trade partner.
Another playoff $. I like Chicago’s chances much better with Tucker. Houston can still make them without Tucker. Parades replaces Bregman who is a near equal loss to Tucker. Playoff odds not a significant change this year and huge improvement future years as Tucker would be gone.
@BITA – the Cubs may be particularly aggressive in trying to make the playoffs in 2025 because both (1) Hoyer is trying to keep his job in the last year of his contract and (2) the Cubs have only 1 playoff appearance during the past 6 seasons (and that was the 2020 COVID year).
The Cubs’ roster + upper minors prospects have meant that some sort of consolidation trade was the logical move for them.
The Tucker trade probably wasn’t the ideal outline of that trade for the Cubs since they didn’t directly deal an OF for him. But the ideal trade match presumably didn’t exist to acquire a player of Tucker’s caliber. And the Cubs could stomach trading Paredes (and Smith) because they think Shaw can immediately step in at 3B.
Should be easy to understand why a team with the Astros recent history of playoff appearances (and success) might lean toward an “extend the years of contention” approach while the Cubs are putting more priority on “make the playoffs in 2025”.
It appears Cubs are making a really hard push this season. Astros looked to be in somewhat of a rebuild/reboot.
Signing Walker and being able to aquire MLB ready talent(Paredes) in Tucker trade seems to have made them pivot. Now with Bregman lingering and a return possible that could really change things.
Although both are trying to win now, Cubs seem to be focusing on strengthening lineup above all else. Astros look as though they are retooling lineup and trying to remain competitive.
Teams trying to win is not linear. Even most low payroll teams try to win. The balance between winning and building a young core and where teams fit in that regard is the difference.
Signing Walker and being able to aquire MLB ready talent(Paredes) in Tucker trade seems to have made them pivot.
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Kind of my POV as well. My guess is that they feel they can be competitive, while getting under the cap, and gaining more years of control.
Thing is, with all the dead money coming off the books after 2025 and 2026 (about 35 million from Abreu and Greinke), there was PLENTY of money to let Tucker go to arbitration after 2025 and sign him to a long term deal after 2026. That would require Crane and Co. to think past tomorrow, something they don’t do very well.
Hawkeye75 It’s not about the arb salary this season. They knew they had zero chance to extend, or re-sign Tucker. Someone mentioned $200M above and that’s way low for Tucker. He’ll probably command twice that amount. The Astros aren’t going to offer that.
So, for the Astro’s it was about 2026. They had a choice to issue a QO, or see what they could get in trade. I think the return was much better than what the comp pick would have delivered.
@Hawkeye – there’s no “letting Tucker go to arbitration after 2025”. He’s going to be a free agent after this season.
Now isn’t “dead money” only a term used in the NFL in regards to their salary cap situation?? “Dead money” is not a concept in the MLB parlance, AFAIK. But I could be totally deluded here…
Hawkeye75
That would require Crane and Co. to think past tomorrow, something they don’t do very well.
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So trading one year of Tucker for 6 years of Smith, 3 years of Paredes, and whatever you get from Wes, is not thinking past tomorrow?
And if there will be plenty of money in 2026, then they can presumably still sign Tucker.
Your post makes no sense.
The cubs have to be willing to trade Caissiez The Astros got great value on one year of Tucker. They probably took the best offer on the table. Paredes and wesneski both filled holes. Cam Smith is probably destined for a corner outfield spot
Tucker is an MVP caliber player. He will definitely a 10+ yr/$300M+ deal next year. There was absolutely no way HOU was ever gonna extend or re-sign him. Never say never? I’m sayin’ never. They covered the vacancy at 3rd (b/c Bregman ain’t comin’ back either), got another SP, and a really good prospect who could be their future at 3rd. That certainly beats a compensatory Q-Offer pick.
Paredes has played both middle infield spots in the past. A move to 2B would actually be easier for him, more teaction time and easier through.
The only real adjustment would be for Altuve. Judging balls and routes to fly balls quite different than playing off reflexes for grounders. I’m sure if they signed Bregman and made those moves they could get Altuve fairly upto speed on Spring Training.
BITA
I don’t care if they can afford to sign him long term why not keep him around for 2025?
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Unless the world is ending after 2025, and once again, no one copied me in on the memo, you have to plan for the future.
Houston will give up ~ 3 bWAR this year net of Tucker/Paredes. And will pick 5-6 future bWAR on Paredes, maybe 15 WAR on Smith, plus whatever contributions Wes might make.
This is a good forward-looking move.
Add 200M more to get where Tuck will be. They got a great deal considering he’s a rental.
They sure cared about future when they tanked for a few seasons. That wad the catalyst for what built core of current team.
They also have had players in place in to take over like Pena when they let Correa walk. They acquired Paredes to potentially fill Bregman’s when they dealt Tucker. So they appear to still be eyeing future.
Nearly all teams who have contended annually like Astros have end up with a depleted farm system. When teams are at that point prospects are traded to add final pieces to a roster.
BITA
Since when do the Astros care about the future?
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Unless you are on the cusp of a WS, then every team cares about the future. My RS present is looking very good to me, but if they could give up present talent to land someone like Chandler, I would gladly do so. Hopefully I will still be rooting for them in 6 years.
There is no template every team most follows you say it as though it’s an absolute and every team most follow one of two plans add talent or don’t.
Wilyer Abreu should be available in a reasonable trade, as he is pushed by Anthony. A solid enough all-around player, though he is no Tucker. Better than most on this list.
Yup, they shouldn’t have traded Abreu in the first place. And definitely better than just about all on that list. Not sure what the Astros have that would appeal to the Bosox. Any good catchers in the Houston system?
You can’t go backwards. The Astros were going for it and thought Vasquez was needed. Abreu has a cannon but was not thought of as good a bat as he had last season. If it weren’t for Anthony, he might be more valuable for Boston to keep than what they can get in return. He has a lot of promise but many have had solid rookie season only to never duplicate it.
It’s been explained here ad nauseam. They had to make a tough choice that one might legitimately disagree with, but it’s not so hard to grasp why they made it.
It really wasn’t a tough choice. The money was there and then some to sign Tucker when he became a free agent. Hell, they could have backloaded the contract to give him less in 2025 and 2026 with balloon payments in 2027 and beyond. Crane and Co. aren’t that forward thinking sadly.
Easy choice. Extend or trade. They couldn’t or didn’t want to extend so had to trade. Only getting a low value draft pick for a elite player isn’t acceptable.
Some people don’t seem able to grasp the reasoning. They only look at the “now” and not the future. I guess that is why they are not in a position to make such decisions.
Yep. Tucker 2025
Parades 2025 2026 2027? it’s more.
Smith 2025 26 27 28 29 30
Wis more years
Oh and not having to pay Tucker this year. Absolutely bargain but still nice chunk of $.
I can’t believe they let Profar walk.
Glad they did.
I realize the money doesn’t work but if the Astros only need to work it out do they reset this season, trade with Boston to absorb Yoshida. Boston pays in 25 but gets relief for 26 and 27. He can play left in Houston albeit not great. You are getting that lefty hitter you want.
They were never going to pay Tucker what he wants. Their farm system is in such poor shape they could not afford to let him walk for nothing like they did Springer and Correa. This was an easy, and correct decision for the Astros.
And as their system is in poor shape, trading for Roberts isn’t really gonna be an option.
I wonder if it would have been better to trade Tucker at the beginning of 2024 instead, they would have gotten a haul. Maybe their plan was to trade Tuck at last summer’s deadline but his injury busted up those plans. They must have thought last offseason that an extension was still plausible I guess.
they should have traded tucker and valdez instead of whatever this foolish plan is
@Ignorant I don’t think they had plans to trade him. More valuable than any prospect is having people pay cable streaming bill and tickets and playoff games.
Harder to trade with more team control. They received a lot, now double his worth and that’s a difficult package to give up.
Also his stats took a huge jump in 2024.
I think it was just a perfect trade that didn’t hurt the team present day. They didn’t trade Valdez Springer Bregman Correa. This trade just hit the right spot.
This time of year, fans will say every player is “due for a bounce back year” or “a breakout year”, but if the label fits anyone, it’s Fraley. He had a nightmare of a season last year, between having a daughter fighting leukemia and having his own viral illness that led him to lose over 20 pounds and sapped his strength that he never really got back all year. You can really see if you look at his stat lines, how much his power was down last year without really any decline in contact.
Suwinski can handle cf so should be able to play lf. I’d say he’s closer to gold glove finalist then below average. Not that I see him as being traded yet. Cherington doesn’t have a clue though so anything is possible other than spending real $
wow an astros article? that’s new
What would the astros give Philly for Bohm?
Nothing.
Who knows. Even I don’t!!!! They overpaid in a few trades. Unless it’s a elite player most trades are quantity over quality. Even then teams keep their blue chips. I would say a few good not great prospects. Top 20 system but not top 100 overall. But since it’s Houston I wouldn’t rule out a top 100. Probably would get the 2 real ones Smith Melton but if you think Mathews is a top 100 there you go. I’d rather have Dezenzo and because they have 1b dh locked down it makes him more expendable. Phillies might have to send prospects as well and might have dh on lock down as well but just some things that teams need to think about. I like Dezenzo but if I’m signing Schwarber or JTR and have Harper I don’t have a spot really.
Yoshida wasn’t mentioned. Red Sox are dangling him and will probably take less talent and eat money for the freedom of opening up their DH spot.
I think Yoshida is a fine idea and a better hitter than most of the dudes left out there.
The dude is a butcher in the outfield. Yoshida is a DH and Astros already have Yordan there.
My post is just indicating he wasn’t mentioned although he is obviously being shopped. It speaks volumes about his perceived value around the league. Whether the Astros need or want him is a different story. Pssst, they don’t.
How About Cedric Mullins or Colton Cowser??
Win/Win Trade Idea: Framber Valdez, Mauricio Dubon and Yordan Alvarez for Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Brandon Young
The Soto contract was a wake up call for the Astro’s. Soto has 36.4 bWAR over 7 seasons. Tucker has 23.0 bWAR over 7 seasons. Tucker’s bWAR is basically 62.3% of Soto’s. That computes to a deal of the same length at $483.5M. That’s why the Astro’s traded him.
People that don’t understand the trade aren’t looking beyond 2025. The Astro’s were, and opted to maximize the return. Tucker can probably be signed for something less than $483.5M, something more like $400M to $450M, depending on the market, and which teams with deep pockets get involved.
The Astro’s knew they absolutely were not coming close to $400M, because they just don’t have the resources to do that. But the Cubs just might. Though they haven’t spent really big in past, the Cubs do have the money to do that.. That’s why the trade made sense for both teams, though I see it as a bigger gamble for the Cubs.
Jean, comparing anyone to Soto is not realistic as he was grossly overpaid because everyone knew Cohen would not outbid and other clubs just ran up the cost. While agents will try to use that deal moving forward, how many fit the bill given ability and age outside of Guerrero who also will end up in NY in 26. Owners are showing with other older players they have restraint and that will continue outside of the NY clubs and the Dodgers for all but a select few. Tucker will get paid but not $400m+.
Bita got something on this one. Better argument here at least. Too lazy to look at payroll but with Abreu coming off the books they might be able to afford Tucker or Valdez. Greinke coming off following year maybe? Going to be a tight one again though. Could they vs should they? Deferred $. Stretch out the contract? Not the Astros style though. Jean and Bita tie. Technically I would lean they have the resources but not the best use of them.
Who do you think will get more in free agency, Tucker or Vladdy?
Tucker is more consistent and he is a Gold Glove fielder.
Vladdy age and star power. Great Tucker year and playoffs can help his star power.
The fact that the Astros management are saying on the one hand they want to stay under the CBT trigger point and at the same time leaving their ridiculously generous offer to Bregman on the table, suggests to me they are making this up as they go along. No real plan seems to be evident.
You a fan in Australia Austria Austin? My mind went to Australia for some reason.
Australia mate.
Astros fan, who really knows what they offered then and what is on the table? Because they still have an interest in him, why shut down rumors that could scare other teams away? If he had that $256m alleged offer still available, he needs a shrink if he’s “still”turning it down.
Well, they need a LH bat, and Bregman is not a LH bat, and they haven’t changed their offer. He’s not a priority. He’s not coming back.
BITA – Maybe you don’t *agree* with the Astros approach, but it shouldn’t be tough to *understand* the outlines of their thinking.
They are thinking about a multi-year contention window, not just 2025.
And the amount that the Astros think it will take to sign Tucker as a FA post-2025 is beyond the Astros’ comfort level, with that view presumably informed by extension talks with Tucker.
Playoff $. That’s #1. And maybe they didn’t think much of those prospects.
They kept Correa Springer Bregman Verlander Valdez so it’s not like they always do this. Just happened to find a trade that took care of present and future. They are most concerned with present.
Kikuchi is a fair point and I don’t have a good answer. It’s an abrupt shift over a few months that smacks of some amount of dysfunction: panic, lack of planning, or a direct owner demand.
Verlander is long enough ago (mid-2023) and with enough control (1.5 seasons) that I can see why the decision with him could have been a different context, especially if the Astros were (for whatever reasons) not particularly high on the prospects who they traded.
Might have been isn’t acceptable when you are a playoff team. Had to sign Walker or someone.
Tucker trade was perfect trade. Hard to get good mlb now pieces. If they traded him for pieces years away that’s a different story.
The lost Tucker but got Paredes. Not as good but it’s something. Lost Bregman but added Walker. That’s a solid 1 for 1. Added a pitcher. Most importantly added top 50 prospect. They are ahead.
Didn’t trade the other guys because their likely wasn’t so many or any mlb coming back. It’s usually veterans for prospects. Your sellers stink and want prospects for rebuild. Your contenders are trying to add and don’t want to subtract from mlb. These veteran for veteran trade opportunities are the minority.
You place a highly overvalued importance on these prospects. A very small percentage ever see MLB. Fewer still become impact players. Per MLB Network, over the last 11 yrs, hundreds of prospects have been traded. Only about 10% ever saw MLB. And < 20 became legit impact players. HOU arguably doesn't make the postseason w/o Kikuchi. Could any of the prospects they've traded in the last couple of seasons helped the big club? Maybe. What I do know is the value of the players they got back. Verlander? (first trade) Check. Kikuchi? Check. Even Pressly. Check. They were never, EVER gonna sign Tucker. And they got more than just the obligatory compensation pick – a 3rd baseman and a Starting Pitcher. Unlike what they will get for Bregman. Which is essentially zip.
Appreciate your passion Bita. You’re just too focused on 2025 and not the rest of the decade. This isn’t the final year of contending imo. I expect them to try again next year. Gotta plan for the future. 2026 27 28 29 not as important but important.
Cam Smith finished his season in AA. Owen Caissie strikes out a ton and has serious hit tool question marks. Some evaluators like Caissie a lot and others think the hit tool/K issue is going to make him a platoon outfielder.
Smith could be playing corner outfield for the Astros sometime this summer in the most aggressive scenario. Opening day 2026 is certainly possible.
Windows don’t close themselves, you have to close them. M’s and A’s don’t spend so they aren’t much of a threat. Other 2 teams can spend but their farm systems aren’t anything special and have older players.
Stros would accept that offer immediately. Massive overpay. Valdez is a rental. They could trade Mayer for a controllable frontline SP and keep Abreu.
I am a die-hard Astros fan, and I think trading Tuck was 1000% the right move. Imagine the farm had they traded Springer, Correa, Bregman, etc before they walked for nothing. Paredes is going to CRUSH at Daikon (MM) Park, and Smith is a young stud. People who are saying “I just don’t understand” the trade just don’t understand baseball.
So when you say Paredes is going to “crush” at Daiken Park, do you mean this career .232 hitter is going to hit league average?
We need downvotes at this site for comments like this one from rocky. Describing a career 117 wRC+ hitter, whose OBP has been above league average, by citing no stat except batting average.
A lot of these posters understand baseball. They just can’t imagine the million balls being juggled by each individual team financially to field a team worth a damn under their ownership constraints.
Peralta, Heyward, and Rosario can all be had on minor league deals, Joey Gallo probably could too. Alex Verdugo should not be that expensive at this point in the offseason. Guys like Robbie Grossman and Nomar Mazara are still out there as well
Ben Gamel is also a cheap LH OF option who performed well with Houston last year available on the FA market. Richie Palacios with the TBR could also be an interesting trade target. I wonder if Jake Meyers could be dangled to Cleveland to relive a couple million & receive some prospect capital since CLE needs a true CF as well. McCormick or Leon can man CF. Good article, there’s some decent options out there actually.
Seems like Dana Brown must have read your post…
Figured Gamel would likely be brought back all along. Performed really well with Houston last year & passed the eye test. Walked at an 18% clip which is elite! Thanks for the shout Rsox
Article has outdated information. As things stand, the team is planning to have Altuve share time in LF regardless of what happens with Bregman or any other acquisition.
Macho Man Yoshida could be had.
I wonder if the Twins would entertain a trade like Larnach for a young Astros pitcher
I would swap Pena for Correa in a heartbeat.
i think its a lot of windows closing in HOU. the most under appreciated in baseball.. gone. payroll flexibility from a half decade of cheap over performing international starters…. not over performing, but like 13 war for 12 dollars…gone… the astros was a huge legacy…. i understand why they’re not spending…..those huge advantages are gone….. but I don’t why not go for it…flags fly, and they still have advantages if not only in the AL, though i think the M’s and muh rangers arecoming…….when the healthy int free agent pitchers still affordable….bregman gone, tucker gone is the real killer…. but it’s still a superbly talented roster…. it’s just not the wide open window it was. the tail end of the run is probably a top 10 starting staff, alvarez, altuve, mccormick, hunter, there’s get in to the yoffs and win the WS abilitity there, anyone can beat the dodgers in a series, i thinkthe stros, o’s, rangers, m’s, twinkies, guardians, tigers all could. 4/7 ain’t nothin
lol damn edit, still think the astros should be full bore, why not for another year or two. i really think there’s some good AL teams that’ll just play good and then flip a coin with NL….it won’t be as bad as everyone thinks. the dodgers’ll lose their fair share
You forgot about Yaz from SF!
“Sanchez, earning $4.5MM this year, is one of two players on Miami’s active roster earning more than $2MM” solid argument for a salary cap, right? I
Nope, but a great argument for a salary floor
Steve Adams. I don’t understand why you (and other writers too) write that Bregman is unlikely to return to Houston just because the GM spoke about him in the past tense. GM’s say things all the time for leverage. If anything, Dana Brown’s comments indicate Bregman will go back to Houston. The fact that Brown makes a comment like that show he really does want Bregman. Notice how he still hasn’t said that the 6-year offer is off the table or withdrawn?
Writers need to stop drawing conclusions from things that team officials or players or agents say during free agency! It’s all posturing, and when it’s not, there’s no way to know that!
Yes, the Astros will “sill” their way to success in 2025
Boston has plenty of LH bats for Houston. You send us Valdez and will send you W. Abreu and M. Mayer. 2nd year GG OF and a top 10 SS prospect. Let’s dance.
If all they want is a lefty bat, then Yoshi for Paredes and the RS kick in $15M per.
Or, and Houston won’t do it, Abreu for Cam Smith.
Kody Clemens, Cal Stevenson & Christian McGowan for Jake Meyers & Forrest Whitley.