Red Sox Outfielder May Be Astros Offseason Trade Fit
The Houston Astros face some decisions this offseason, not the least of which is what they might do with veteran outfielder Michael Brantley.
‘Uncle Mike’ is a free agent at age 36 and the Astros may decide they don’t want to re-sign him after Brantley spent most of the season injured.
Part of the calculus will be the fact that the Astros dealt two of their top outfielder prospects — Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford — to the New York Mets to re-acquire Justin Verlander at the trade deadline.
So, the Astros may need some help in the outfield in 2024, and an outfielder in Boston stands out as a potential fit, according to MLBTradeRumors.com.
Boston outfielder Alex Verdugo slashed .264/.324/.421/.745 with 13 home runs, 54 RBI and is a Gold Glove finalist in right field. He is also signed through 2024.
The Astros were reportedly interested in Verdugo at the trade deadline as potential outfield help. He’s a left-handed hitter, so if they move on from Brantley, also a left-hander, the Astros would replenish that part of their bench.
As Verdugo is a quality fielder, he would be a good fit for Minute Maid Park’s left field, where one must deal with the tall wall in left field, which holds up the Crawford Boxes, along with the deeper left-field that can create unique caroms.
He would fit well as a one-year rental, and he might not cost that much, especially if Boston wasn’t interested in extending him past 2024. The Astros have Kyle Tucker in right field, along with Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubón on their active roster. There is also Jake Meyers, who was not on the postseason roster.
That platoon would give the new Astros manager a wealth of options to combine together based on matchups.
Plus, Verdugo would give the Astros a bit more time to develop outfield prospects.
The Astros’ top two prospects are outfielder — Jacob Melton and Luis Baez. Melton ended 2023 at Double-A Corpus Christi and is projected as a 2025 promotion. Baez finished the year at Class-A Fayetteville and isn’t projected to join the Astros until 2027, per MLB.com.
There is another good reason to inquire about Verdugo now. The Red Sox have a new chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow. He’s likely eager to put his own imprint on the organization, one trying to turn itself around in 2024.
Dealing Verdugo to a team eager for an experienced left-handed bat with a high-quality glove might be a good start.
