Houston Astros Would Get King's Ransom if They Traded Superstar Kyle Tucker

With Kyle Tucker available on the market, the Houston Astros could name their price for one of the best outfielders in the sport.

May 26, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (30) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

In the midst of the Winter Meetings, Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown made it clear that they were willing to listen to offers for anyone on their roster.

The dynastic franchise has seen its perennial dominance begin to wane of late, having missed the World Series twice in as many years for the first time since 2015-2016.

Some of their star players who have helped in their reign are quickly approaching free agency, including outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Tucker was not always the superstar that he has become.

His prowess was outshined by other stars on the team like Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve. One has since left in free agency, while the other three remain, but Tucker has reached his prime in a major way, showing just how valuable he can be.

The superstar has improved his plate discipline over the last two years, with his seasonal walk rates climbing from slightly above league average to just below doubling the league average. That goes with his always impressive ability to mitigate the strikeouts. He adds impressive home run and gap-to-gap power to that plate discipline, and while he is one of the slower players in the sport, he picks his spots well and has a great mind for baserunning, which has turned that into multiple seasons of double-digit steals.

Defensively, Tucker has won a Gold Glove in the past for his efforts, but that was more for his arm than his glove.

The outfielder threw out six baserunners in 2022 from right field, which accounted for five of his nine runs of value at the position per Baseball Savant.

Tucker is a lefty-swinging pull-hitter with a batted-ball profile that David Ortiz would drool over.

Any contender needing an upgrade in the outfield would trip all over themselves to add the star to their roster, regardless of the cost.

But what do the Astros need, and what would that cost be?

When looking at Fangraphs' Opening Day lineup and rotation projections with the removal of Tucker and Bregman (assuming he signs elsewhere), the most glaring need is for a corner infielder.

This has been a need for quite some time, specifically first base where the team ranked 26th in MLB in 2024 with an OPS of .651 from the position.

Not many contenders have extra first basemen lying around, though one fringe contender, the Detroit Tigers, has one that they would be willing to move off of in Spencer Torkelson.

He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 MLB draft but has failed to find his footing at the Major League level with the Tigers.

He has shown flashes in the past of being a capable Major Leaguer, hitting 31 home runs in 2023 and posting a 107 OPS+, so a change of scenery could be what Torkelson needs to alleviate some of the pressure that rests on his shoulders by being the team's previous top pick.

It would take much more than just Torkelson to get the deal done, however, and Houston could realistically ask for Detroit's No. 2 prospect Max Clark and No. 2 prospect Bryce Rainer as additions.

Clark is an outfielder entering his age-20 campaign who has played reached High-A ball, while Rainer is a shortstop who will be 20 in June and has yet to play professionally.

Clark could be Major League ready as early as 2026, so that could allow the Astros to slot him into right field if still needed.

Rainer could be lying in the wings as Altuve plays out the rest of his contract, and with no professional experience to this point, they would not need to rush him to the Majors.

Houston could also trade Tucker to the Philadelphia Phillies.

His batted-ball profile would make him a perennial MVP finalist at Citizens Bank Park, and they also have the trade capital available to make a deal work.

The Phillies have discussed moving their own right fielder, Nick Castellanos, and third baseman, Alec Bohm, this offseason, so those two could be part of the return. They could also throw in their No. 3 prospect, outfielder Justin Crawford, and their No. 4 prospect, shortstop Starlyn Caba.

Crawford is the son of Carl Crawford and has performed well in the minor leagues to this point in his career. He could be ready for the Major Leagues by the second half of 2025. Caba has made it as far as Single-A, and like Rainer above, he could be waiting in the wings for the eventual retirement of Altuve.

The Astros have shown throughout their dynasty they are not willing to pay their superstars megadeals, even Altuve who has arguably been the face of their franchise throughout his career.

Correa left in free agency, they have had trouble coming to an agreement to this point in the offseason with Bregman, and Altuve's largest contract was seven years, $163.5 million coming off of his 2017 MVP campaign.

It is highly likely that remains the case for Tucker, meaning 2025 would be his last with the club.

The outfielder will enter his age-28 campaign in 2025, and since he's still in the heart of his prime, he will garner a much greater return if Houston moves him this offseason instead of waiting until the deadline.

Many teams could swing a deal for Tucker, and he may even land an extension with the team he winds up with to give the Astros an even greater return.