Astros insider drops cloudy assessment about Brice Matthews' future

Houston Astros fans are very familiar with top prospect Brice Matthews at this point. The Astros' 2023 first-round pick out of Nebraska quickly ascended the minor leagues. For a moment, it looked like Houston had a potential star infielder on their hands. Matthews' .829 OPS at Triple-A last season wasn't overwhelming dominance, but still extremely solid, and Matthews impressed during his brief stint in the majors.

However, Matthews' path to a big league roster spot with the Astros is complicated at the moment. In the second part of his Q&A for The Athletic, Astros insider Chandler Rome broke down Matthews' status in the organization and wondered aloud as to how the team would handle him. If you follow Rome's train of thought beyond his answer to the question, it seems extremely likely that Houston could trade Matthews sooner rather than later.

Brice Matthews may now be the Astros' top trade chip as roster glut takes a toll

This is not a knock on Matthews whatsoever. Rome spends a lot of the Q&A section in question praising Matthews and saying that it is extremely likely that he is too good to remain at Triple-A much longer, as he has nothing to prove. However, Rome also said, "Even trading one of Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker before spring training will not help Matthews have a meaningful major-league role." That is quite the sobering assessment.

Rome did leave the door open for Matthews to play his way onto the MLB roster this spring, but the odds do appear to be long. Jose Altuve seems likely to be Houston's primary second baseman next season as a concession to the congestion in the outfield now that Yordan Alvarez is back at DH. As for shortstop, Jeremy Peña is still the man for the moment, and he isn't a free agent until after the 2027 season.

This puts the Astros in a tough spot. Altuve is not a long-term answer at second base, but finding plate appearances for the legend is going to take precedence over Matthews for the foreseeable future. Peña may be destined for free agency since Houston failed to extend him before now, but just leaving Matthews in the minor leagues for years to wait his turn isn't going to work on several levels.

That leaves using Matthews as trade bait as arguably the best alternative. If payroll and roster glut are Houston's primary concerns, they could use Matthews as a carrot to get teams to take on all of Christian Walker's deal. If all they want is talent, Matthews is a guy who could be the centerpiece of a deal. Considering the lack of a plan to use Matthews directly, moving him may be the next best course of action.