2 players the Astros should trade, 3 they should keep around

The Houston Astros are going to be a good baseball team in 2024. They may not win the division and the playoffs could even be a bit dicey given how strong the American League looks, but no one should think that the Astros, as they stand now, will throw up a stinker of a 2024 season. If they do nothing else at all this offseason, them being good is still almost a lock.

However, there are always ways to improve. Some changes could be geared towards fixing the "right now" issues on the roster while others could be geared towards planning for the short and long-term future of the club. We often measure success on a year-by-year basis, but there is something to be said for building an organization that can sustain success even if it costs some short term gains.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the players that the Astros should consider trading in the not-so-distant future. The goal is to be somewhat realistic here. No, you won't find Yordan Alvarez as a "keep"; that isn't instructive, because duh. Also, no, you won't find any guys that just signed minor-league deals with spring training invites as "trades" because no one cares about that. Instead, the focus will be on known commodities and the decisions that the Astros should make for, hopefully, the overall health of the club going forward.

Players that the Astros should consider trading

Jake Meyers

Since the offseason started, Jake Meyers has been the subject of trade rumors, and with good reason. Kyle Tucker is a mortal lock for right field and Chas McCormick sure seems like he earned his spot in the outfield after posting an .842 OPS and nearly getting a 20/20 season last year. However, Meyers' profile is one that feels a bit more niche and may not fit in the Astros' plans.

Meyers is a terrific defender and no one should argue otherwise. That, in itself, has a lot of value. However, terrific defenders that hit .227 with limited offensive upside generally don't find themselves on the rosters of playoff teams. The teams that can best extract that value are ones that are payroll starved or are rebuilding on a budget, not teams like the Astros who are loaded everywhere and are heavily invested financially in competing in 2024.

Right now, the Astros are talking a tough game and publicly committing to playing Meyers in center this season. That is all well and good, but Houston has a lot of outfield prospects coming up right now AND they have also talked about adding a lefty outfield bat with speed. That doesn't feel like much of a vote of confidence, and if the Astros end up getting a decent offer for Meyers, they should jump at the chance to move him and bring in some talent for elsewhere on the roster.