Astros insider believes trade deadline fallout could influence top prospects' futures

The Houston Astros, somewhat unexpectedly, took the trade deadline by storm this year. Most fans and experts thought the Astros could add a short-term left-handed bat and maybe an extra arm, but instead, Houston got one of the better lefty bats on the market with the addition of Jesus Sanchez, added some infield depth (Ramon Urias), and brought back Carlos Correa — a move that no one had on their bingo card until about 48 hours before the deadline. With all of that roster movement, though, comes consequences.

Despite some early struggles in the major leagues, most would still say that two of the best prospects that the Astros have at the moment are Brice Matthews and Jacob Melton. The problem is that the moves Houston made at the trade deadline complicates the futures of both Matthews and Melton. Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required), the odds that Houston trades either or both prospects may have just gone up.

Will the Houston Astros look to trade Jacob Melton or Brice Matthews this offseason?

While this may just sound like fear-mongering — something that always accompanies any trades — it's actually a fair point. The Astros traded for Correa who'll play third base for the foreseeable future, Sanchez will become a fixture in the outfield, and Houston just got Jeremy Peña back. Jake Meyers and Isaac Paredes will eventually return as well.

This poses a problem, bot in the short and long-term. It's becoming tough to find playing time for everyone, especially once Melton is healthy again. There's already been whispers that Houston may shift Paredes to first base and ship Christian Walker out of town this coming offseason.

As a result, Matthews and Melton's greatest value to the team could be in a trade. There's merit to keeping these young players around. Both are talented and will be cheap for a long time, but the current composition of Houston's roster doesn't really allow for the team to take advantage of those potential savings because they have to play the players who are signed to big contracts.

These sorts of problems usually take care of themselves. Converting Matthews or another infielder into a second baseman could open up some possibilities, and it isn't like there couldn't be changes in the outfield this offseason. However, if trends hold, the offseason could see the departure of some popular prospect talent and even more fireworks.

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