One of the biggest challenges of the Astros’ offseason is that their efforts to reshape their outfield mix have so far not been successful. After defeat Kyle Tucker In a trade with the Cubs last winter, the team not only missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade, but also struggled to find production in the outfield. His 88 wRC+ on grass was the eighth-worst in the majors. Jake Myers His performance in center field helped him improve his ranking in terms of fWAR, and even by that measure, the club’s outfielders still ranked only 20th in baseball.
Houston’s outfield situation this winter got worse depending on which of the two was chosen. Jesús Sanchez and Joey Loperpido. Meyers, as presently constituted, consists of Loperfido; cam smith, jack cole, Bryce Matthewsand jack dezenzo They do group activities in the corner. Smith is the only player with more than 400 plate appearances in the big leagues, and the 23-year-old is coming off a mid-rookie season after playing just 32 games in the minors (just five more than High-A) before making his debut. It’s a very unproven group, and it’s no secret that the Astros are looking for ways to add stability to their outfield, even with a schedule shift to March, just weeks away from Opening Day.
The industry consensus for most of the offseason was that this would most likely be accomplished through a trade. Isaac Paredes. Paredes was blocked, at least on paper, all over the diamond after the team acquired him. Carlos Correa Playing third base at last year’s trade deadline. Correa ranked 3rd, Christian Walker At first and Jordan Alvarez There weren’t many places for Paredes to play at DH. Perhaps the team was still holding out hope that the right deal would come together at some point. However, I recently suffered a fractured finger. Jeremy Pena Maybe we can change that calculus. If Pena misses time, Correa could fall back into the everyday shortstop role, which would leave Paredes with an opportunity to get regular at-bats to start the season.
It means a great deal to someone like jaren duran At this point, it’s highly unlikely. But even with Opening Day approaching, there are certainly other ways the team could consider improving its outfield. Free contract (Jessie Winker, Jason Hayward) offers some interesting, but not so exciting, options that could potentially join camp on minor league deals.
The current best NRI candidate has been selected by another club, but if a player like Michael Conforto (the Astros were reportedly interested before signing with the Cubs) or Mike Tauchman If he can’t get his current team out of camp, it’s entirely possible for him to walk away from his current deal and find a home in Houston.
A trade involving a player on another team’s major league roster may not be completely impossible. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco explored a handful of little-discussed trade candidates last month that could be a good fit for the Astros. There’s no guarantee that any of these players will be available, but it’s fair to think about a team like the Twins (who have all the talent). matt wallner, Trevor Larnach, Alan Rodenand james outman (who are competing for just a few spots in the outfield mix) might be willing to give up one of those pieces. This would be especially interesting for Minnesota if the Astros were keeping an open mind about their pitching depth. Pablo Lopez This year and david festa He will also start the year on the injured list.
What do MLBTR readers think about the Astros’ outfield situation? Could we get some outside help before the season starts? Or will they start the year with a combination of interior players handling corners? Please take the survey below.
