Astros may have found their offseason savior after surprising Mets roster shakeup

While the Houston Astros haven't been exactly stunning the world with their offseason, some teams have somehow been worse. One such team is the Mets, who entered the offseason among the favorites in the NL with seemingly endless money to spend, but who have since then purged their roster of some key contributors, with Jeff McNeil being the latest casualty, and have yet to be adequately replaced. However, in the Mets' misery, a ray of hope for the Astros may exist.

As soon as Pete Alonso left the Mets, the idea existed that the move made Houston and New York were natural trade partners given the presence of Christian Walker and the Mets' first base need. However, there was little traction to the idea at the time and it sort of fell by the wayside.

Well, now that the Mets have continued culling their roster since then, more and more experts and insiders are coming around to the idea that sending Walker to New York may be beneficial to both teams.

Astros may actually have a prime trade partner for Christian Walker in the Mets if they play their cards right

For a while, it has been pretty clear that the Astros have some level of regret over the Walker signing and would prefer to trade him this offseason. Even if they think Walker could rebound in 2026 (which is very possible), Houston simply doesn't have the funds to work with right now and could use the savings to address the rest of the roster.

The Mets clearly are trying to completely remake their roster, and that could require multiple high-profile moves. Because they are capable of absorbing payroll, the Mets could fill the void left by Alonso at first base/DH with a player who has All-Star upside without needing to trade away their top prospects or commit to a long-term deal.

In an offseason where trades may be the Astros' only way to fix their roster, this is exactly the opening that Houston may need. The tricky part will be convincing New York that Walker is a player who could help them as they are looking to compete, but that could be made easier if the Astros are reasonable at the negotiating table.