Insider Links Switch-Hitting Utility Man to Houston Astros As Free Agent Addition

Houston Astros could add a cost-controlled veteran option to play a bevvy of different positions for them.

Sep 19, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Jorge Polanco (7) hits an RBI-sacrifice fly against the New York Yankees during the first inning at T-Mobile Park / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

What will the Houston Astros do this offseason?

That is the question surrounding this franchise after they left the general manager meetings without a deal worked out with their superstar third baseman Alex Bregman.

Figuring out his future will be the first thing that needs to happen for the Astros this winter because they would need to backfill his opening with someone who could replace his production since they're still in a championship window.

It's long been surmised that if Houston does re-sign Bregman, likely to the megadeal he and his agent are searching for, then they wouldn't be able to address their need at first base considering the tight financial situation they'd be in.

That might not necessarily be the case, however.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com highlighted Jorge Polanco as a player who the Astros might pursue.

"Polanco has played mostly middle infield in his career but would play the corner infield spots in Houston," he writes.

Even if they do bring Bregman back, having someone who can play at both first and third base would be huge for Houston considering their only other true option to do that is top prospect Zach Dezenzo who got limited action this past year in his debut season.

Polanco is also an interesting buy low candidate.

He's coming off the worst performance of his career with a .213/.296/.355 slash line and 93 OPS+, but he also dealt with an injury to the patellar tendon in his left knee that caused him to undergo surgery this past October.

Prior to this past campaign with the Seattle Mariners where he struggled at the plate, Polanco was a one-time All-Star with the Minnesota Twins. He produced a career slash line of .269/.334/.446 and an OPS+ that was 11 points above the league average during his 832 games across 10 seasons.

At 30 years old, there should still be gas left in the tank.

Spotrac puts his market value at four years and just over $54 million for an AAV of around $13.6 million, so that would likely price the Astros out if he were to get something in that neighborhood.

However, the continued decline Polanco has had every season since 2021 based on OPS+ and wRC+ metrics could scare some teams away, especially coming off this knee injury.

If Houston isn't able to bring back Bregman, then paying the switch-hitter this type of deal would be much more manageable, but even if they do re-sign their star third baseman, they might get a discount for Polanco on a short-term prove-it deal.