Astros dodged bullet by not trading Kyle Tucker to Yankees after latest injury

The Houston Astros cleaning house this past offseason was probably not on most fans' bingo cards when the 2024 season came to a close. Instead of just being "Alex Bregman Watch", Houston made a number of high profile moves that represented a massive overhaul of their roster. No move stood out more during the Astros' frenzy than trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.

There was certainly logic involved in the move at the time, but it was still shocking to see the front office actually pull the trigger that sent one of the Astros' best young players elsewhere. Fortunately, it seems like Houston made out well in the trade. Isaac Paredes is playing well at camp and top prospect Cam Smith looks like he could be a monster.

However, there were other trade proposals for Tucker on the table, including a rumored discussion of an offer from the New Yankees that included starting pitcher Luis Gil. While Gil would have been quite the prize at the time, it looks like the Astros made the right choice after seeing that Gil is going to miss some time with an injury.

Astros trading Kyle Tucker to the Cubs looking better and better after Yankees' pitcher Luis Gil suffers injury

Gil is coming off a terrfic season in 2024 in which he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Gil was looking to start off the year strong but will instead be shut down for at least six weeks. It isn't his fault that playing for the Yankees is often a curse for a player's health, both in the short and long-term, and it seems like their training staff is run by Dr. Nick Riviera from The Simpsons.

Had Houston acquired Gil instead of Paredes and Smith for Tucker, they wouldn't have known whether to spit or wind their watch. While we don't know exactly who else New York would have included, the Astros would have been in a rough spot.

Not only would Gil be hurt (again, assuming it was inevitable), but the Astros would probably been forced into an uncomfortable spot in the Bregman talks and may have been more desperate for offense. Instead, they have Paredes to fill the void and Smith forging himself into a big piece of Houston's future.

Hindsight is always 20/20 in these situations and, at the time, including Gil in a potential Tucker trade would have looked pretty nice in the moment, especially with all of the injuries the Astros' rotation has suffered. That said, the Astros got a better offer and they have to been feeling QUITE good that things ended the way they did.

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