Astros should absolutely sell-high at the trade deadline to remedy outfield logjam

Houston Astros outfielder Jake Meyers is having a great season, and anyone who is currently trying to argue against that notion is lying to themselves. As improbable as it may seem, Meyers currently sports a 121 wRC+ over 225 plate appearances thanks to a .300/.359/.409 line. As always, his defense has been excellent. Houston's offense has struggled, but Meyers has been among the few bright spots. For that exact reason, Houston should strike while the iron is hot.

The trade deadline is going to be exceedingly important for the Astros this summer. They're already trying to navigate a challenging payroll situation if they hope to make any additions, but also have a bit of a roster crunch to manage and a lineup that desperately needs some balance.

As The Athletic's Chandler Rome recently noted (subscription required), the solution to Houston conundrum may be as simple as selling high on Meyers and trading him while they still can.

Trading Jake Meyers now may be the key to the Astros' trade deadline strategy

Obviously there is some risk with this type of move. Not only is Meyers one of few Astros players who are actually hitting well at the moment, but losing him will considerably impact Houston's defense. When you have the recently converted Jose Altuve on one side and converted rookie Cam Smith on the other side, this becomes a distinct factor in the decision making process. That said, there's no guarantee that Meyers can keep up this offensive outburst.

Before the season, Meyers averaged a .662 OPS and only hit .228 across four seasons. While possible, it is unlikely he's all of the sudden a player who's going to hit .300 for the remainder of the season — much less his career.

The Astros shouldn't just give him away for peanuts, but a pure prospect deal that adequately values Meyers' 2 ½ years of team control could save Houston a little cash against the luxury tax threshold, help reload the farm system, and clear out the outfield logjam.

If Houston weren't willing or able to trade Mayers when he stunk, one wonders if the team is going to be willing to abandon ship once their patience has finally paid off. It seems like the Astros have been planning Meyers' departure for a little while now, but they're going to need some extra courage in order to actually do the deed now that he actually has some trade value.

Or just rip the bandaid off and part ways with Chas McCormick. That would be fine, too.

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