New Houston Astros Trade Proposal Finally Lands First Base Upgrade

The Houston Astros could finally bring in a major first base upgrade by saying goodbye to a starter and a prospect.

Aug 11, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles first base Ryan Mountcastle (6) looks on while on deck to bat against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have been hard at work for a while now to land a real upgrade at first base, there are a couple of realistic options worth a look this winter.

Near the top of their list should be Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who looks to be on the outs with the next era of Orioles stars being ushered in.

Mountcastle is widely believed to be the most likely Baltimore player moved in the offseason and the Astros cannot afford to be left out of the conversation.

A potential trade that would benefit both sides could see Houston shipping over lefty starter J.P. France and pitching prospect A.J. Blubaugh.

It's a bit of a hefty price to give up for a non-star player, but ease of mind at first base would be worth it after the recent struggles.

This past season, Astros first basemen accounted for just a .226/.291/.360 slashing line with 18 home runs and 68 RBI.

Mountcastle would be a much reliable bat as he's been fairly consistent throughout his career.

In his five full seasons, he's never been above a .796 OPS but also hasn't been below a .733. Last year, the 27-year-old posted a .271/.308/.425 slashing line with 13 home runs and 63 RBI..

He's under team control through the end of the 2026 season, which means Houston would get two years of him before deciding if they want to extend him. They do have a penchant of letting players walk in free agency, but Mountcastle should be a fair value.

He swings a fast bat and gets great contact on the ball. If the Astros coaching staff can help him improve his plate discipline, he could become a very lethal slugger.

France being the odd one out of the Houston pitching staff and being shipped away isn't actually a testament to his struggles this season.

He had his year cut short after he saw his ERA balloon up to 7.46, but it was just a small five game sample size. Throughout all of his minor league career and rookie campaign he showed the stuff of a legit middle of the rotation guy.

That future is still very much in the cards for him, but he just happens to be expendable right now.

The same can be said for Blubaugh, he's an intriguing prospect, but the Astros need a bat more.