Houston Astros Trade Petit to New York

The Houston Astros have traded infielder Gregorio Petit to the New York Yankees for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle. With the Astros crowded infield, Petit was sent to the minor-leagues on Sunday. Now he will don the pinstripes and could act as a backup to Didi Gregorius at shortstop.

While Gregorius has more experience in the majors, at 25, the the 30-year old Petit performed well with the Houston Astros last season, batting .278 in 100 plate appearances. The Astros infield currently has Jed Lowrie at shortstop, with Jonathan Villar and Marwin Gonzalez available as backup. Jose Altuve has solidified his spot at another of Petit’s positions, second base, and newcomer Luis Valbuena, and current Fresno Grizzly, Matt Dominguez have third base locked up. There simply wasn’t enough room for Petit, who went 8-for-25 this spring (.320).

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

While we shouldn’t expect a lot in return for an aging utility player, there is always the possibility that Jeff Luhnow may be able to produce another James Hoyt, who they received in the Evan Gattis deal a couple of months ago. While Hoyt will be debuting this season in Fresno, he performed well this spring, pitching 8 1/3 innings without allowing a run while striking out eleven.

The other scenario is that the Houston Astros will just receive some straight cash. Money is always nice as well. Good luck to Petit in New York!

Next: Houston Astros Set 25-Man Roster