Could Randal Grichuk be an option for the Astros?

The Houston native may be another slugger the Astros can acquire to an already dangerous lineup, Grichuk could be the missing piece for Houston.

There have been many rumors surrounding the Astros outfield as of late, Kyle Tucker, Josh Reddick, and even Tony Kemp may be on their way out of Houston. It could be time for GM Jeff Luhnow to trade for the hometown slugger Randal Grichuk.

As of late, the Astros have been generating a lot of buzz and it looks like they are making their outfield expendable to other teams. After signing Michael Brantley the outfield does seem a little crowded so why would they trade for another outfielder?

It’s because of what Grichuk brings to the table, he is a right-handed power hitter who can change the game with one swing of the bat. He also grew up in Rosenberg Texas and attended Lamar Consolidated High School and was also part of Lamar National in the Little League World Series in 2003 and 2004. Out of high school, he found himself selected in the first round by the Los Angeles Angels, one pick before superstar Mike Trout. Grichuk had his ups and downs before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. After being primarily a role player in St. Louis, he was finally able to be an everyday player, once being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in January.

The stats.

The 26-year-old got off to a slow start this past season, and through April and May, he was slashing .106/.208/.227. Grichuk is a power hitter but has the tendency to strike out. At the beginning of the year he struck out 31.2% of the time while only hitting two home runs.

This all changed after he went down with a knee injury on April 30th, after getting healthy he utilized his time rehabbing in the minor leagues working with coaches to adjust his stance and swing. My goodness it worked, in the month of June he batted .294 and lowered his strikeout percentage to 19.7% while smashing eight home runs.

Grichuk finished the year batting .245 with 25 home runs and 61 RBI’s, which is very impressive considering how much he struggled early on. He can not only hit the long ball but can flash the leather as well, he is capable of playing all three outfield positions and could provide some versatility to the Astros.

Overview.

Toronto has a surplus of outfielders as well, such as Kevin Pillar, Billy McKinney, and former Astros Teoscar Hernandez. With top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocking on the door, the Blue Jays may look to send Grichuk back home to Houston. There are many moving pieces that have to happen and this trade may be unlikely, but Grichuk would reminisce at being able to play at Minute Maid Park. Grichuk may be another slugger the Astros can look to add to an already dangerous lineup.