Houston Astros Acquire Former First Round Pick From New York Yankees

The Houston Astros added to their outfield collection in their recent deal with the New York Yankees.

May 4, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Taylor Trammell (5) gestures at home plate after hitting a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Things could go in two directions for the Houston Astros this offseason, and they won't know exactly what their next steps are going to be until Alex Bregman makes his decision regarding his free agency.

However, that didn't stop the front office from making an early move.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros acquired outfielder Taylor Trammell from the New York Yankees. It was later reported the deal was for cash considerations.

On the surface, this doesn't do a whole lot.

Houston is expected to have five outfielders in the mix next year with Kyle Tucker, Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubon and Yordan Alvarez, but there is also a chance the front office could look to break up this logjam at some point this winter to bring in other players at areas of need.

Trammell gives the Astros someone with Major League experience who was a high-pedigree player at one point in his career when he was taken 35th overall in the 2016 MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He jumped around to different organizations as part of some fairly notable trade packages, but he made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Seattle Mariners.

Things haven't quite gone as expected for the young outfielder with a slash line of .167/.270/.363 and OPS+ of 79 across his 126 games in four seasons, but at 27 years old, there's a chance he could be a late bloomer.

Trammell might not be part of the mix in Houston next season, but he at least gives the organization another outfield option in case they do decide to make some changes to that group ahead of 2025.