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Three Astros Players Who Should Have Been Traded At The Trade Deadline

The Astros made two moves at the deadline, bringing Justin Verlander and Kendall Graveman back to Houston. One or two more small moves including these three players could have gone a long way to deepening their title odds.

By Alec Brown |
Houston Astros v Miami Marlins
Houston Astros v Miami Marlins / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
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The Astros are still serious World Series contenders. They don't feel, in the words of Jeff Passan, quite as inevitable as they have in previous years.

Yes, landing Justin Verlander and Kendall Graveman will help them down the stretch, but another move or two for another reliever or bench bat could have gone a long ways towards helping their repeat efforts.

The Astros still have a few pieces in their organization they could have unloaded at the deadline in an effort to bolster their title chances.

Lets look at three players the Astros should have traded at the trade deadline.

The Astros should have traded Jake Meyers.

Let's be clear, this is no fault of Jake's. He is one of the best defenders in baseball, a roughly league average bat, and has great speed. So why move him?

The second Justin Verlander returned, Meyers became expendable. Before the return of JV, Mauricio Dubón played center field one time all season. As soon as JV came back, so did the "personal center fielder" garbage.

Dubón has a stronger arm than Meyers, yes. But he is not a better defender overall, and is a worse hitter. He's a middle infield utility player that can play the outfield in an emergency. Landing JV isn't an emergency. It's a great thing.

But as a byproduct, it's cut Meyers' playing time in half. Even last night, when Kyle Tucker was scratched and Chas McCormick moved over to right, it was Dubón that entered the lineup in center, not Meyers. And that's with J.P. France on the mound.

It's quite simple: Chas McCormick is your every day center fielder. If he plays a corner to give Yordan or Tuck a day off, Jake plays center. But with a manager that won't give him any consistent playing time and Michael Brantley nearing a return and eating into another outfield spot, Jake should have been moved.

Dana Brown said the Astros didn't want to trade anybody from their big-league club. Not moving Meyers was a miss.

Meyers has value and would have gone a long way towards landing another reliever at worst. Brent Suter of the Rockies sure would help this team.

Texas Rangers v Houston Astros
Texas Rangers v Houston Astros / Logan Riely/GettyImages

Corey Julks should have been traded from the outfield depth too.

The Astros have mismanaged Corey Julks from the get-go this season. The hometown Julks is a great story, but he never should have been taking playing time away from Chas McCormick, which he did for a good chunk of the season.

Once Chas was finally solidified as an everyday player, Julks playing time fluctuated. He's now back in AAA Sugar Land after Jon Singleton was called up. He should have been traded rather than floundering in AAA again.

Yes, he went surprisingly unclaimed in Rule 5 this offseason after hitting 31 bombs in AAA in 2022. Julks showed this year he's at least a serviceable big leaguer. He finished his big-league stint mired in a massive slump, but for much of the year, was a league average performer.

Again, Dana Brown said he didn't want to trade from the big league roster. Now Julks isn't even on it.

Julks easily could have gone to a team like Oakland for either Seth Brown or Tony Kemp to bring some balance to the lineup.

Houston Astros Photo Day
Houston Astros Photo Day / Michael Reaves/GettyImages

The toolsy Pedro León has made great strides at AAA this year. León is hitting .289 with a .939 OPS in the last 20 games, and over his last 90 days is hitting .272 with an .883 OPS.

He still has swing and miss in his game, but the power and tools are there. He is the type of player that's blocked in Houston, but another team could take a chance on like the Rays did with Jose Siri.

León could be a September call-up, but he's unlikely to usurp Dubón as the utility player in that time. Will Wagner is also back from injury and pulverizing opposing pitchers for Corpus Christi. He could easily be the Astros next utility player in a long line of them.

León could have been moved at the deadline for a reliever or a platoon bat like Kemp.

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