Astros: Former players scattered across playoff rosters

To The Senior Circuit

Moving into the National League, we all remember the days of the “Lastros” in the NL Central, and there were plenty of players traded away from the Astros. Most of those players are out of the league, but there are a few former ‘Stros still dwindling around. Starting in LA, the Dodgers have made a few trades with Astros over the years such as Houston acquiring Yordan Álvarez and the Dodgers acquiring Tyler White last year.

The former Houston player on the Dodgers is Kiké Hernández. Many fans might not remember the Dodger platoon player in the orange and navy blue because he only played in Houston in 2014. He was traded to the Marlins in a package deal that included a what could have been in Jarred Cosart, and two well known players coming the other way were Jake Marisnick and Colin Moran.

Staying in the West, the San Diego Padres acquired Jason Castro this season from the Los Angeles Angels. Castro frustrated a lot of fans with his inconsistency, but he was an All-Star in 2013 due to a lack of production from other players. He was granted free agency in 2016, and shortly after, he signed with the Twins.

Moving on to the Brewers, they have Josh Hader. The 2-time All-Star never played a major league game as an Astro, but he was included in one of the worst trades in the organization’s history. He was included in a package to Milwaukee for Mike Fiers and Carlos Gómez.

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Next up, we move to the old home of the Astros: the NL Central. The St. Louis Cardinals have a one-time Astro in their outfield: Dexter Fowler. He only played on a Bo Porter team in 2014 that was on the rise, as they made the playoffs the next season. He ended up winning the World Series in 2016 with the Cubs, so they probably won that trade. The Astros acquired Dan Straily and Luis Valbuena for Fowler.

Speaking of the Chicago Cubs, they recently acquired Cameron Maybin. He is well known for his Steal a Base, Steal a Taco in the 2017 World Series after stealing the first base in the series. Maybin did not last long and left in free agency.

This is our last stop: the NL East. The Atlanta Braves have former Houston relief pitcher Mark Melancon. A forgotten Astro that played from 2010-2011, he has had a journeyman career. He was acquired from the New York Yankees in exchange for Lance Berkman, then was dealt to the Boston Red Sox in 2011 for two-time Astro Jed Lowrie.

Lastly, our final team is the Cincinnati Reds. Their former ‘Stro is Wade Miley. After having a mediocre year in Houston in 2019, the Astros let Miley leave in free agency. He signed with the Reds, but his career hangs in the balance after a tough season.