Pass Or Pursue: Deciding Which Astros Trade Deadline Targets Are Worth Going After

The Astros should target Alex Verdugo.

The red-hot Red Sox likely aren't going to sell at the deadline, but Dana Brown should make Chaim Bloom an offer he can't resist for Alex Verdugo. The left-handed corner outfielder is a dream Astro.

He's hitting .271 with a .772 OPS this year and is worth 11 defensive runs saved. For his career, he's worth 21 runs saved as a left fielder. An outfield of Verdugo, McCormick and Tucker would push runs across on offense while keeping them off the board defensively.

He'd bring balance to an Astros lineup that needs it, filling the role Michael Brantley was supposed to. He hits for average, lines the ball into the gap for doubles, and rarely strikes out. Houston needs just that. If the deadline ends with Verdugo in an Astros uniform, it's been a success.

The Astros should pass on Jeimer Candelario.

Jeimer Candelario is having a career year for the Nationals. He's been worth 3.0 bWAR and is hitting .256 with an .819 OPS, and he's a switch-hitter. What's not to love about him?

Simply, where is he going to play?

Alex Bregman is playing Gold Glove caliber defense at third base and has been a man possessed at the plate over the last two months.

And José Abreu, struggling or not, isn't going to get moved off of first base in the first year of a three-year contract. Candelario makes a great deal of sense, and would be an upgrade over their incumbent first baseman, who in the month of July has regressed again to a below league-average hitter.

Candelario will be highly sought-after at the deadline, and for good reason. But the Astros aren't the fit. A corner outfielder like Verdugo would be a much better add.