Astros could sell high on Jake Meyers with surprising NL East interest brewing

With the news on Wednesday night that the Houston Astros were trading Mauricio Dubon to the Braves, it is clear that the Astros are looking for ways to save some cash and get some relief from their roster crunch. As much as they would like to make roster upgrades at some spots, doing so when you already have too many options and little in the way of spare cash is quite the tight rope for the Astros to walk. At the center of Houston's efforts to trim things down currently, before the meat of the offseason, is the fate of Jake Meyers.

Meyers has seemingly been available in trades for years now, but this may be the first time during that span where Houston could actually expect a decent return. While he did miss some time with injuries in 2025, Meyers put together his best season at the plate of his career by a mile with a .292/.354/.373 line. He'll never be Barry Bonds, but that level of production is more than enough, given Meyers' defensive value in center field to be attractive to potential trade partners.

In fact, one such trade partner for the Astros involving Meyers has already revealed itself. During the Crush City Territory podcast, Astros insider Chandler Rome relayed a report from The Athletic's Matt Gelb that the Phillies really like Meyers and could be a realistic trade partner this offseason.

Astros could be poised to send Jake Meyers to the Phillies before the 2026 season

The entire context does matter here. While Rome did relay that report on Meyers and the Phillies, he also made sure to remind everyone that trade interest in Meyers began well before this offseason. He also said that the Phillies were far from alone among teams that have called about a potential Meyers trade.

This is a classic sell-high situation, and the Astros could easily cash in this offseason, assuming the trade interest is earnest and not just teams shopping around looking for clearance sales. In addition to being a Gold Glove caliber defender and breaking out (kinda) on offense last season, Meyers would come with two years of team control. At this point, Meyers is the best trade chip the Astros have among the realistic options, and his value is arguably higher than it has ever been.

Having a team like the Phillies interested in Meyers certainly can't hurt the cause. When Dave Dombrowski sets his eyes on a trade target, he is one of a dying breed of executives who is willing to win a bidding war. If enough teams truly want Meyers, a bidding war is exactly what we could get, and the Astros could be the beneficiaries.