“If we can trade someone to potentially get a left-handed bat or something like that, we’ll consider that,” Brown told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle). “But I think we have a really good infield right now. We do have the depth. We have a long season, 162. We have some veterans that we want to give some breaks over the course of a season, and it’s good to have that depth.”
That’s the tone Brown has taken all winter. He already said during the GM Meetings that they were not motivated to act Christian Walker and had no interest in moving Isaac Paredes. He talked about those corner infielders again today. “Right now, they’re both still on our roster. We have plans for both of them to play. So right now, the plan is for both of them to be there,” Brown said.
Walker and Paredes are in very different places in terms of trade value. Walker signs for $20 million annually for his age 35-36 seasons. He’s coming off a .238/.297/.421 with a dip in his defensive qualities in his first year in Houston. The Astros would likely have to pay more than half of the contract to move Walker. He’s unlikely to land a big left-handed bat no matter how much of the money they cover. Walker did connect with 27 home runs and had a fine second half, so the Astros probably don’t want to move him just to save a fraction of the contract.
Paredes would have a much bigger appeal. He will earn $9.35 million after reaching an arbitration settlement this afternoon. The Astros no longer have a clear spot for him in the starting infield after their recapture Carlos Correa to play third base while Paredes was injured last summer. Correa obviously has sufficient shortstop experience, but will not often play there in a team Jeremy Pena. Houston plans to keep Jose Altuve mainly at second base. Manager Joe Espada has said all winter that they want to keep it Jordan Alvarez as many designated hitters as possible.
As a result, Paredes remains a multi-positional infielder for the time being, although it only takes one injury to change that. They would find ways to get his bat into the lineup on a regular basis, even if everyone is healthy. Walker, Altuve and Correa are all in their thirties and could benefit from more rest than the team was able to offer last season. Paredes is nursing a significant hamstring injury that has cost him most of the second half, so days off at the start of the season wouldn’t be the worst for him either.
The Red Sox are the team most often linked to Paredes in trade rumors. They have not been replaced Alex Bregman in the infield and have a few controllable left-hitting outfielders, Wilier Abreu And Jarren Duranwhich would fill Houston’s biggest lineup need. It would be a surprise to see the Sox role with Duran or Abreu for Paredes – at least not a one-for-one deal. Paredes has the shortest period of contractual control among that trio. Boston also reportedly prefers it Marcelo Mayer in the hot corner and ideally is looking for a defensive second baseman, which isn’t Paredes’ specialty. Even if a workable framework exists, Houston would likely have to send more talent to the Sox to even out the package.
Former first-round pick Brice Matthews likely goes back to Triple-A to start the year. He hit 17 home runs and stole 41 bases while hitting .260/.371/.458 at his year-ago level. However, Matthews was hit at an alarming 28%, and he fanned out in 20 of his first 47 MLB plate appearances. Baseball America sees him as the third candidate in a weak Houston agricultural system. He still has a few minor league options, but could theoretically be a trade chip if the Astros don’t trade any of their veteran infielders.
Brown noted that the Astros are still evaluating free agent options to add a left-handed bat as well. They are within a few million dollars of the $244 million luxury tax threshold, which owner Jim Crane is reportedly reluctant to cross. Even a role player like Mike Tauchman or Adam Frazier they could be getting too close to that point to leave the front office with plenty of room to make in-season additions. Perhaps there is a workable deal for a lefty hitter before arbitration, who could be cut by another club. Daniel Snowman, Robert Hassel III or Yanquiel Fernandez (The latter of whom should currently be on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rockies) are a few speculative options that would likely be available at minimal cost.
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