5 trade targets for the Astros this off-season

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The Houston Astros fell just short of their eventual goal of repeating as World Series champs. If the Astros are to climb back atop the baseball world in 2024, they need to find a left-handed bat, some bullpen help, and starting pitching depth.

It's expected many of those moves will be made in free agency. The Astros don't exactly have a loaded farm system, so they likely aren't going to be able to make a trade for a Gerrit Cole as they have in prior offseasons.

Here are 5 trade targets for the Astros this off-season

But Houston still can get a deal done. These five trade targets could go a long way towards the Astros winning their third World Series title in eight seasons.

#1 Anthony Santander

Anthony Santander to the Astros makes too much sense. The switch-hitting right fielder can also play first base. Santander's ability to play both at an average or better level would allow for DH off-days to be rotated between Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and José Abreu. After Abreu showed much improvement upon returning from the IL, keeping him fresh and his back in good shape is of the utmost importance.

Santander would give the Astros another left-handed bat to balance the lineup with Alvarez and Tucker, but because he can switch hit, isn't the platoon piece Michael Brantley was.

Santander is heading into his final year of arbitration. He plays for the loaded Orioles, and is currently responsible for blocking some of their young pieces like Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser from everyday playing time.

The Orioles have to make some moves this off-season to address their roster crunch. Santander is likely the odd man out as he doesn't fit their timeline. He does, however, fit Houston's, and his bat (.257 with 28 bombs and a .797 OPS) would go a long way to bolstering the Astros lineup.

#2 David Bednar

David Bednar would be quite a splash for the Astros. Over the last three years, he's quite possibly been a top-three reliever in baseball (2.25 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 11.3 SO9). He's not a household name since he plays for the Pirates, but even on a losing team, still managed to lead the MLB with 39 saves this season.

With Hector Neris, Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek all hitting free agency, the Astros have to address their bullpen. A back of the bullpen consisting of Bednar, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly is simply obscene.

Bednar would come at a cost. If Pittsburgh decided to move Bednar, they'd be expecting a lot back. A couple of controllable starters like José Urquidy and Brandon Bielak, a young and talented outfielder like Jake Meyers, and multiple prospects would be heading back to Pittsburgh.

But if Houston wants to win again, a lights out reliever like Bednar goes a long way to improving their chances.

#3 Paul Blackburn

Some of you are asking, "What in the world are the Astros going to do with a pitcher with a career 4.90 ERA?"

It's a fair question. But Blackburn isn't nearly as bad as his career ERA shows. Over the last two seasons, Blackburn has a 4.35 ERA and 4.09 FIP. Houston could have used both of those things this season.

His fastball is flat with little life and gets lit up to the tune of a -12 run value, but his off-speed and breaking balls are actually quite solid. His breaking run value of 7 was good for the 86th percentile in the league while his off-speed run value of 4 was in the 83rd percentile.

His cutter in particular gets rocked, and if Houston could move him away from that and throw even more off-speed, there's a formula to success here as a reclamation project. He's not going to arrive in Houston and win a Cy Young, but he does have some potential as a solid 4/5 in the back of a rotation. For an Astros team that both desperately needs depth as LMJ and Luis Garcia rehab and doesn't have a plethora of prospects to part with, a piece like Blackburn could be a quite solid acquisition.

#4 Aaron Bummer

Aaron Bummer would be one of the Astros reclamation projects of old. Fresh off of a complete nightmare season in 2023, Bummer needs a reset. From 2017-2022, Bummer stockpiled a 3.03 ERA and 145 ERA+ with a 3.32 FIP. He then imploded in 2023, recording a 6.79 ERA and 66 ERA+.

Under the hood, there's still quite a lot to like about Bummer. His xERA of 3.53 and FIP of 3.58 indicate he was wildly unlucky last season, and not just because he was playing for the White Sox. Bummer finished in the 99th percentile in barrel rate, 97th percentile in ground ball rate, and 87th percentile in both whiff and strikeout rate.

He's due $5.5 million this season, with club options for $7 million plus in 2024 and 2025.

The White Sox don't have a lot of leverage for a reliever coming off of a 6.79 ERA season receiving $5.5 million. This is a trade the Astros could easily meet the price tag for, and one that would make a big difference in their bullpen.

#5 Alex Verdugo

Alex Verdugo is a piece we've said Houston should trade for for quite a while now. The Astros were linked to Verdugo at the deadline, and this offseason could be the time we finally see them make the move.

October showed that Jake Meyers has fallen to a distant third in the Astros center field battle. Catastrophe would have to strike to see Meyers cut into the McCormick/Dubón timeshare. But there is still room for an athletic center fielder that plays elite defense like Meyers. Could Houston package two controllable, blocked pieces like Meyers and Julks for a rental like Verdugo?

He'd balance the lineup as a lefty, though his struggles against lefties means he'd likely be out of the lineup on days a southpaw toes the rubber.

Verdugo brings elite defense in both left field and right field, and would give the Astros quite an outfield combination with Alvarez, McCormick and Tucker.

He'd be a one-year rental as the Astros look to get back on top of the baseball world, and he just may be worth the price.

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