Astros have nothing to lose with Pirates latest castoff

The Astros’ outfield issue isn’t complicated. It leans too right-handed and gives away too many empty at-bats in the wrong moments. That’s why a left-handed bat with legitimate big-league thump feels like an easy call. Houston should be first in line to take a low-risk swing at Jack Suwinski after the Pirates designated him for assignment.

The batting average is ugly. A career .199 will make any front office flinch, and it’s the kind of number that gets a player labeled as unplayable if you don’t look deeper. But Suwinski doesn’t come with empty tools. He’s a power-and-patience outfielder who, not long ago, was one of the more dangerous left-handed threats in the National League. In 2023, he popped 26 homers and posted a 14 percent walk rate, the exact “three true outcomes” profile teams tolerate when the damage is real. 

Astros have nothing to lose with Jack Suwinski, and that’s the point

Houston doesn’t need Suwinski to be an everyday player. They need him to be a useful left-handed option who can punish right-handed pitching, lengthen the lineup, and give them a different look in the middle-to-late innings. If he’s your seventh hitter who occasionally runs into a ball that lands in the seats, that’s value. If he’s your fourth outfielder who makes the opposing manager burn a bullpen move early, that’s value too.

The Astros have been connected to the idea of adding a left-handed-hitting outfielder as they explore options on the trade market, which tells you they know this roster is missing a certain type of at-bat.

This is also where the Astros’ organizational identity matters. They’re one of the few teams you trust to take a flawed hitter and give him a real plan. If Suwinski’s issue is contact quality leaking because the approach got too pull-happy or the timing got out of sync, that’s coachable. If it’s simply that he’s a platoon masher who needs to be deployed correctly, that’s even easier.

Suwinski’s arbitration salary was modest enough for Pittsburgh, and it’s an even smaller gamble for Houston.

This is the kind of move contenders make when they’re honest about their roster: low risk, real upside, and a clean exit if it flops. The Astros genuinely have nothing to lose, and just enough to gain to make it worth the shot.