Chandler Rome’s latest article on the Astros trade deadline: HOUSTON — Before the Houston Astros opened a series at Chase Field on Monday afternoon, Jose Altuve emerged from the first-base dugout to visit a friend. Eugenio Suárez stopped his conversation, walked over toward his countryman and wrapped him in a hug. Suárez and Altuve played together during the 2023 World Baseball Classic on a Venezuelan national team managed by Astros bench coach Omar López. The trio remains close, providing an obvious connection between the trade deadline’s top power-hitting target and a Houston team desperate for a spark. Sobering news on Sunday only strengthened Suárez’s potential fit. General manager Dana Brown’s revelation that third baseman Isaac Paredes is seeking a second opinion for a strained right hamstring that is “a little more severe than we projected” must prompt at least some concern that Paredes’ season is over. Brown never acknowledged as much on Sunday, but it would behoove him to approach the next four days with such a reality in mind. Scoring seven runs in a four-game sweep against the cellar-dwelling A’s only accentuated how lean Houston’s lineup is without Paredes or the plethora of other injured position players. Losing on Sunday still left the Astros four games up in the American League West and, according to FanGraphs, still with a 54.2 percent chance to win the division. “I don’t think I’m really thinking about (the deadline),” Altuve said after the 7-1 loss. “I’m thinking about the guys we have here. The guys that are showing up every day to play the game. We’re still in first place, so we’re going to leave it up to (the front office) and see our guys get healthy at some point and join the club.” Suárez is the most straightforward way to address Paredes’ potential season-long absence and, according to multiple league sources, the Astros have at least checked in with the Arizona Diamondbacks to make their interest known. Whether Houston has enough prospect capital to compete with Suárez’s slew of other suitors is a legitimate question. Another is perhaps more pertinent: is Suárez even an ideal fit for the Astros’ current roster? Brown has not hidden the fact he is searching for a left-handed bat, a stance he reiterated on Sunday. Suárez hits right-handed and is strikeout-prone, problematic for an offense that — at full strength — has no balance and prides itself on putting the ball in play. Houston entered Sunday with a 21.1 percent strikeout rate. Major-league average is 21.9 percent. Suárez led the American League in strikeouts in both 2023 and 2024 with the Seattle Mariners and would run counter to one of the hallmarks of this Astros’ offense. More concerning, though, is Suárez’s defense at third base. According to Baseball Savant, he is worth minus-6 outs above average. Sports Info Solutions says Suárez is worth minus-3 defensive runs saved. The Astros awoke on Sunday with an infield worth 13 outs above average, the second-highest mark in the American League and a byproduct of their intentional offseason. Houston convinced Altuve to abandon second base, signed three-time Gold Glove winning first baseman Christian Walker and hired infield coach Tony Perezchica away from the Diamondbacks — all in an effort to upgrade its infield defense. Acquiring Suárez could threaten that continuity, though perhaps Perezchica has some suggestions on how to make him more serviceable. Perezchica has already received ample praise from team officials about his work with both Paredes and All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña. Make no mistake, though, any team acquiring Suárez is doing so for his slug — something the Astros sorely need. Willi Castro would provide versatility with his ability to play both corner-outfield spots and multiple infield positions. (Matt Krohn / Getty Images) Suárez may be the sexier name, but Minnesota Twins utilityman Willi Castro is also of interest to the Astros and a far better fit for their roster. Castro is a switch-hitter with starts at six different defensive positions this season, versatility that would be valued as the Astros’ nine injured position players are activated. Castro has made 26 starts at second base and 25 in left field — the two most unsettled positions on Houston’s major-league roster. Castro entered Sunday slashing .254/.344/.425 across 327 plate appearances and without a drastic difference from either side of the plate. He has a .739 OPS hitting left-handed and an .836 mark as a righty, making it more than feasible that he could either form half of a platoon or handle everyday playing time. Both Castro and Suárez are rentals being sought after by a bevy of contending teams, again inviting wonder if the Astros can win a bidding war against clubs with deeper farm systems. Though the Tampa Bay Rays had previously shown no indication of moving left-handed hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe, their pre-deadline freefall could change the calculus. If Lowe does become available, expect the Astros to be involved, but the pursuit comes with something of a caveat. Lowe is currently on the injured list with a left foot and ankle problem. The optics of a team with 18 players on the injured list trading for a 19th would be, at best, suspect. Nick Kurtz awoke on Friday morning worth 2.3 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. If Kurtz ever fell asleep that night, he did so worth 3.0, offering a modern way to quantify one of the best offensive performances in Major League Baseball history. Kurtz’s six-hit, four home run performancepropelled him over teammate Jacob Wilson and Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez for the highest fWAR among American League rookies. The mere impact of Kurtz’s historic night — and how it will be remembered beyond this weekend — may have sewn up American League Rookie of the Year honors for Kurtz after just 67 major-league games. A resurgence from Cam Smith could shift the conversation. Houston would welcome it for both draft-pick purposes and pursuing a championship. Smith is 5 for his past 51 with four singles and a double. He trails Kurtz, Wilson and Narvaez on the fWAR leaderboard. Concerns about Smith’s workload are growing, as is the lack of protection he has in a lineup where he is now one of the few players opponents are circling. Smith has a .641 OPS across his past 119 at-bats. Manager Joe Espada toyed with batting him leadoff after Peña fractured his rib on June 27, but moved Smith down to sixth for Sunday’s series finale against the A’s. He finished 0-for-3. “I want (him) just to calm down and swing at good pitches and drive the ball,” Espada said before the game. “Of late, he’s chasing a little bit more than we normally see out of him. But when he’s in the (strike) zone and he gets his good pitches to hit, we know he’s capable of doing some damage.” Smith’s swoon should be expected for any rookie, much less one with 32 games of minor-league experience. It also underscores the importance of procuring another outfield option who could spell Smith — either as a method of managing his workload or to provide a better at-bat, if these offensive struggles continue. Left-handed hitting outfield prospect Jacob Melton, who has played in two minor-league rehab games while recovering from a sprained ankle, fits the bill. So could Castro.
At this point, if the Astros dont trade for a bat or two then they arent really seriously planning to compete for a WS and might as well trade for assets instead.
You took it out of context. You took me saying the Astros traded Tucker to avoid arbitration [ and nothing more?] I was saying the Astros didn't want to pay the arbitrator amount [or more]. Buck was saying Tucker wasn't eligible.....I showed thru AI and article that Tucker was eligible for arbitration. Astros couldn't negotiate a 1 year extension at a remedial amount like the Cubs did? It changes nothing : Astros didn't want to pay a top 5 outfielder in Tucker anything over $15M, whether it be $16.5M or $25M. As i said Pena has turned down $105M over 5 years. So things don't look good for Pena re-signing. I continue to stand by that despite you and others playing a game of semantics. As far as Framber, I said either way. Trade him or keep him for the playoffs run. Corbin Burns and Fried getting $200M contracts spells problems for the Astros re-signing him. I can see the Astros trading him at the deadline so they get something for him. As a free agent no team has to do a sign and trade. Astros could get a #3 pitcher on some other staff plus talented prospects.....or letting it ride for a playoff run. Makes no matter to me, I trust management.
It has nothing to do with “semantics”. You are just wrong. It had nothing to do with what they would or were willing to pay Tucker this year. It was about knowing they would not resign him and getting more value. And the Cubs didn’t sign a one-year extension. They just avoided arbitration. The Astros could have done that, and of course they would have been happy to pay an all star outfielder $17 or $25M for one year. But context matters. He would be a free agent, and they didn’t want to lose him for nothing. Just like the Cubs might … they have NOT signed an extension. The Astros gave this reasoning publicly. Nook has confirmed this here. Every reporter and analysts has said the same. We can keep explaining it to you, but we can’t understand it for you.
No sh#t Dumba$$ that's what I've been saying. AI Overview +7 During the December 2024 Winter Meetings, it was widely reported that the Houston Astros were open to trading Kyle Tucker before his final year of arbitration eligibility in 2025. This was largely driven by the high projected cost of his upcoming arbitration salary and the anticipation that he would command a very large contract in free agency the following year, which the Astros were unlikely to offer. Ultimately, the Astros did trade Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in December 2024 for a package that included Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith. After the trade, Tucker and the Cubs avoided arbitration in January 2025 by agreeing to a one-year, $16.5 million contract for the 2025 season. He had initially filed for $17.5 million, while the Cubs countered with $15 million I can't understand it for YOUUUUU !!
He makes a lot of sense but they do have some defensive concerns. The options have supposedly been given to Crane and the pros and cons of it all and he will have to decide which course to pick. It’s possible the last couple injuries coupled with poor play the last 3 weeks may figure in to how far the organization is willing to go. I think Alvarez plays a big part in this as well, the organization isn’t leaking anything substantive about him going forward.
If the FO doesn’t believe Yordan can come back and be Yordan this year They would be nuts to trade significant resources for rentals If they don’t think he comes back at full strength I would try to patch things up best I could and keep the best prospects If I thought there was a decent chance he could, I would be all in
Astros won't trade Framber. They'll most likely trade for a pitcher that would stay and replace him next year.
