Proposed Houston Astros Trade Swaps Southpaw For Underrated Slugger

The Houston Astros should consider swapping an expendable starter for the services of an underrated slugger this offseason.

Apr 17, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher J.P. France (68) reacts after a balk is called on him against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have an excess of pitching and a lack of offensive depth, so they could use a trade to knock out two birds with one stone.

Having too many starting-caliber pitchers actually came in handy last season because of their nightmare injury luck, but the Astros could still benefit from trading one of them away this winter to bolster the roster in other places.

If they were to pick one pitcher to ship off right now, their best bet would be J.P. France.

Spencer Arrighetti would have been the answer at this point last year, but his rookie campaign was good enough to keep him out of trade talks.

It may seem like a rash decision, but his profile projects a bit better than France, even when considering his healthy season in 2023. Both pitchers have shined at points, but Arrighetti is five years younger which could give him the final edge.

When looking around the league for players who could help out enough to warrant parting ways with one of their pitchers, San Francisco Giants slugger LaMonte Wade Jr. could be the perfect fit.

It is now well-known the Giants are willing to part ways with him this offseason and they need pitching help. A potential deal could see Houston pair a mid-range prospect like Jackson Nezuh with France to get Wade from San Francisco.

Though France is expendable for the Astros, he could still hold a lot of value for another team.

His 2024 campaign was both shortened by injuries and plagued by a couple of bad starts. He finished with a 7.46 ERA, but it was a small sample size. He was much better as a rookie in 2023 where he posted a 3.83 ERA.

Nezuh would be an additional young arm to add value to a 30-year-old pitcher coming off of a disappointing season and a major injury.

Wade would be a great add for Houston, as someone who could play both corner outfield and first base. He would be an immediate upgrade at either spot, at least in terms of his bat.

The near 31-year-old started off last season red-hot with a .311/.438/.857 slash line for the first half. He was thrown out of his groove with an injury, though, and never seemed to recover, which caused his numbers to drop to .260/.380/.381 for the season as a whole.

If he could come in and be a reliable mid-.700s OPS player, it would be more than worth trading away a couple of arms for the Astros.