Three Players Offer Houston Astros Short-Term First Base Trade Solution

The Houston Astros have a first base problem and there are some short-term trade options that could help solve it at the deadline.

Jun 2, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after hitting an RBI single during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

José Abreu’s time at the Houston Astros’ spring training facility at West Palm Beach, Fla., hasn’t had the intended effect. He is a .115 hitter this season with one home run and five RBI.

As for Jon Singleton, at least he’s hitting better than .200. But that’s not good enough for a position where power is a key piece of the puzzle.

The Astros are not the type of team to sell at the deadline. Houston hasn’t had to do any such thing in a while. While pitching is now a high need with upcoming season-ending surgeries for José Urquidy and Cristian Javier, the Astros are unlikely to contend for anything with a continued power drain at first base.

Recently, ESPN wrote about every team’s needs entering the summer and the players that could be on the market come the trade deadline next month. The piece didn’t connect Houston to any particular players. But, it did highlight three first basemen who could be seen as short-term panaceas for the team’s horrible offensive output at first.

Short-term as in all three are free agents after the season.

On the high end there is New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso, who could be dealt if the team seeks to get something in return for their top home run hitter. Alonso is playing on a $20.5 million deal, which means the Astros would have to pick up close to half of it — unless they’re able to work out the same deal they did a year ago with the Mets when it came to pitcher Justin Verlander.

That deal included the Mets picking up a significant portion of Verlander’s contract as part of the trade.

A step below that is Arizona’s Christian Walker, who is in the midst of a quality season in his final year before he can explore free agency. He hit 12 home runs and drove in 38 runs in his first 61 games this season and has hit at least 30 home runs in each of his last two seasons.

Both Alonso (14 home runs) and Walker have hit more home runs than Houston's first baseman tandem this season.

Walker is making much less than Alonso, just $10.1 million, making his partial salary at the deadline easier to take on.

Next is Miami’s Josh Bell. He is likely to be part of a fire sale for the Marlins at the deadline, a veteran first baseman with a solid bat that could help a contender.

Bell is making $16.5 million this season, so he would cost less than Alonso but more than Walker in inherited salary. Bell is not the power hitter he used to be. He has six home runs this season after back-to-back 11 home runs seasons.

The real question is what these teams would want in return from the Astros, who have a farm system ranked among the lowest in the Majors. But, to improve this key position, a deal may be necessary.