Astros could entertain previously unthinkable trade idea this offseason

The Houston Astros are likely to make wholesale changes this offseason after failing to make the playoffs, meaning fans can expect Dana Brown and the front office to get creative once again. If Jim Crane continues to avoid exceeding the luxury tax, the Astros don't have much in terms of payroll space. Will this force the Astros to make an unthinkable trade this offseason?

Yainer Diaz has been a vast improvement over the ghost of Martin Maldonado, but the young backstop is a flawed player. For all of his offensive upside, Diaz's defense and framing behind the plate are far from ideal. Furthermore, his aggressive approach at the plate hasn't helped the Astros fix their team-wide problem — chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

As a result, there were calls for the Astros to move on from Diaz during the season. Though the idea of trading Diaz was simply a fun thought exercise at first, a recent publication from MLB.com's Brian McTaggart previewing the Astros' offseason plans seems to indicate the Astros' willingness to move Diaz this offseason.

Trading Yainer Diaz this offseason is not as farfetched as some Astros fans may think

If this was just some random fan on social media suggesting that the Astros would consider trading Diaz, it would be easy to ignore it as nothing more than pie-in-the-sky nonsense. McTaggart, however, is not the kind of reporter to throw ideas out there without a reason, and devoted several paragraphs to the Astros' catching situation

His focus centered around Diaz's need to improve defensively despite his offensive upside. While this could merely be speculation on the part of McTaggart, it feels as though he must've heard something from within the organization to throw such a wild idea out there.

What would the Astros' plan would even be if decided to trade Diaz. The free agent market for catchers is not good, and the Astros would certainly like to bring back Victor Caratini. Perhaps Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto would be an option while Houston awaits Walker Janek's arrival to the big leagues.

Diaz's defensively shortcomings and willingness to swing at anything are problems, but there are bound to be a number of potential suitors. With Realmuto hitting the free agent market, Realmuto could be an option. The San Diego Padres could be a team looking for some stability behind the plate as well.

We'll find out soon exactly how serious these Diaz trade rumors are, but it is abundantly clear that the odds are higher now than they ever have been.