Houston Astros Could 'Buy Low' on Former All-Star Outfielder

With there being question marks in the Houston Astros' outfield, they could look at this option as a buy low candidate.

Jun 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays (21) swings during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros shocked a lot of people when they shipped Kyle Tucker out of town.

Not only did they move one of the best players in Major League Baseball, but it also went against their past ethos of letting their stars hit the open market and recuperating a draft pick if they left by extending a qualifying offer.

The Astros did a good job with the return package.

Not only did they address their open third base position by landing Isaac Paredes, who was an All-Star this past campaign, but they also improved their pipeline with star prospect Cam Smith and added starting pitching depth with Hayden Wesneski, a player who is hoping his time with Houston can help him take his career to the next level.

But, without Tucker in right field, there is a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick to take their own games to the next level with that duo being the everyday guys alongside a rotating cast in left.

Jacob Melton could be someone the Astros call up in 2025 to help bolster this unit, but because he's still young in his career, it's not a given that he can play at the Major League level, so the front office could also look to bring in an established player to be part of the mix.

Someone available is Austin Hays.

The 2023 All-Star has been a solid hitter during his career, posting a .261/.313/.432 slash line with a 107 OPS+.

His playing time was reduced with the Baltimore Orioles after more of their star prospects started becoming MLB ready, so they sent him to the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the trade deadline this past season.

Unfortunately, his tenure there was a disaster, posting an OPS+ that was 14 points below the league average and suffering two separate injuries that put him on the shelf at different times during the second half of the year.

Still, Hays could be what Houston needs.

While he's not an elite defender with a -0.1 defensive bWAR and minus-8 Outs Above Average in left field, he is definitely serviceable at both corner spots and would provide more offense with a 15-plus homer, 60-plus RBI potential.

Spotrac has his market value set at $10.8 million, but based on how things ended in 2024 with the Phillies, he might be forced to sign a one-year, prove it-type of deal with his next team after he was non-tendered.

Depending on what that price tag is, Hays should be someone the Astros at least consider.