Houston Astros Boss Says This Outfielder Has Depth Cart Advantage Over Another

It sounds like there is a clear hierarchy in the outfield of the Houston Astros based on comments made by Dana Brown.

Jun 14, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Chas McCormick (20) hugs center fielder Jake Meyers (6) after they defeated the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Before Alex Bregman's free agency status is figured out, the Houston Astros had to make some decisions about which arbitration eligible players they were going to tender a contract to ahead of the deadline on Friday.

Unsurprisingly, all eight received contracts.

The entire group either contributed last season or previously did before suffering injuries, so it was not shocking they were all brought back.

But, that doesn't mean this roster will field these eight names.

Two players viewed as the most likely non-tender candidates were Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick, but the Astros did the smart thing by holding onto them so they can see if an outfield market develops following the free agency decision of Juan Soto.

There's a chance both players are back on the roster, though, especially if Houston decides they aren't going to play Yordan Alvarez in the field as much in the upcoming campaign based on the knee injury he suffered late in the year.

If that is the case, general manager Dana Brown made some interesting comments about what the hierarchy is going forward.

"In terms of the best combination of hit and defense, I would say McCormick's ahead of [Meyers] I mean, he's shown that ... I would say he's more of a total package, whereas Meyers is a really good defender in center field," he said per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

Fans should take note of this.

Brown normally holds things very close to the vest, so for him to come out and willingly share this information is definitely something notable.

McCormick might have played poorly with an OPS+ of 66 across his 94 games last season, but throughout his career, he has shown the ability to be a plus player on offense with a .250/.324/.422 slash line and 109 OPS+.

Meanwhile, Meyers has put up a career OPS+ of 86 with a slash line of .228/.292/.371.

Like Brown states, though, Meyers is the better defender than McCormick. His defensive bWAR is 2.9 compared to 0.6, but that isn't that big of a drop off to where the Astros would feel like they have to give him playing time.

It will be interesting to see what comes out this.

Since Houston tendered Meyers a contract, they could turn around and trade him at a later date, perhaps adding another pitcher or first base option.