Winter Meeting Wishlist: What We'd Love to See out of the Houston Astros this Week

What do we want to see the Houston Astros do in the Winter Meetings?

The MLB Winter Meetings kick off this week and we've got hot takes and predictions galore. Much of the talk has center around where Aaron Judge will sign, what dominoes will fall now that Jacob deGrom is off the market, and what trades we may see take place.

The reigning champion Houston Astros made their first splash of the offseason, landing All-Star 1B Jose Abreu. With the best infield in baseball already secured, what do the Astros do next? Do they have any other splashes in store? Or will it mostly be shoring up an already fantastic lineup with very few holes?

Some of these we may see happen. Others are more of a pipe dream than anything. But a wishlist is a wishlist, and without further ado, here is what we want to see our 'Stros and their baseball ops by committee group make happen at the Winter Meetings.

Trade for Bryan Reynolds

In a hardly shocking, but still shockwave inducing move, Bryan Reynolds has requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In case you're unfamiliar with Reynolds' game, here are the numbers he put up last season:

This coming in a "down" year. Switch-hitting center fielders with a career .842 OPS don't grow on trees. Ones with three-years of team control are even more rare.

Do the Astros have the farm system to pull off such a move? Who can say. But their last trade with Pittsburgh worked out quite well...

Pittsburgh likely has no interest in moving Reynolds, but they also have a propensity for not paying their stars. With the right offer, he's likely on the move. With the rest of baseball desperate to catch Houston, it would hardly be stunning to see the Mets, Padres, Dodgers or Yankees go all-in to try and land Reynolds. Why not push the chasm even wider?

Reynolds hit .262 with an .807 OPS last season in a lineup offering him virtually no protection. Now imagine slotting him between say Tucker, Alvarez and Bregman. Not that Yordan and Tucker have struggled left-on-left anyways, but opposing managers would be incapable of navigating that lineup late in games with their bullpen.

In landing Reynolds, we'd likely see Chas slide to Left Field, a place where he has seen a decent amount of time. If Houston were to trot out this lineup on Opening Day, it would rival the 2019 lineup as one of the best in MLB History:

1) 2B Jose Altuve
2) CF Bryan Reynolds
3) DH Yordan Alvarez
4) 3B Alex Bregman
5) RF Kyle Tucker
6) 1B Jose Abreu
7) SS Jeremy Peña
8) LF Chas McCormick
9) C Martin Maldonado

Paired with the rotation they'll carry into next year, that team could make a legitimate run at the single-season 116 win record and would have a strong shot at becoming the first repeat champions since 2000.

Is it likely? Probably not. Would it be a dream come true? Absolutely. Hopefully the 'Stros find some time to meet with the Pittsburgh front office this week and bring Reynolds to The H.

Let Justin Verlander Walk

Our own Matthew Creally did a fantastic job this morning advocating for why the Astros should let Verlander leave. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check it out.

He was spot on. Verlander is about to be on the wrong side of 40 and is rumored to be asking for $43.3 million a year. Factor in his struggles in the Fall Classic and Houston should tell him "thanks for your time, best wishes."

Houston will still have the best rotation in the game with or without Verlander, and they can instead use the $43.3 million for two or three other pieces.

JV was an amazing piece of this Golden Era of Astros Baseball, but the Golden Era will continue for longer if they let him go.

Sign Willson Contreras and Andrew Benintendi

Both names have been mentioned as potential signings for the Astros previously on Climbing Tal's Hill, but this now is looking rather realistic.

In his latest report, Jon Heyman said that Houston is split on whether or not to land Contreras. He writes:

The Astros and Cardinals seem the most interested in Willson Contreras. Houston’s decisionmakers are said to be split on whether to go for Contreras or go again with the defensive Martin Maldonado and promote a couple prospects to back him up.

I'm a huge fan of Yainer Diaz and think he has a bright future as an Astro. Korey Lee still has a great deal of promise as well. But signing Contreras as the DH and second catcher is a no-brainer. You're trying to win the World Series. There is a reason Jeremy Peña was such a success story last year--unheralded prospects don't come out of nowhere to do what he did. Sign the sure thing. Contreras' bat transforms this lineup.

Then, don't stop there. Land Benintendi as well. The Astros are now rumored to be interested in the left fielder.

Benintendi is fresh off of hitting .304 with a .772 OPS. His left-handed stick would bring balance to the lineup and he'd likely rediscover his power stroke here. His five home runs become 14 playing in Minute Maid Park.

Assuming Bryan Reynolds isn't acquired via trade, the Astros can use the money they saved by letting JV walk to send out an outfield combination of Alvarez, Tucker, Benintendi and McCormick, with Yordan and Contreras splitting DH duties, and Maldy and Contreras handling the pitching staff.

Landing one of Contreras or Benintendi would be nice. Landing both would be elite.

Depth and versatility win in October. If the Astros land both of these pieces, they've got it in spades. And with that, they'll have a World Series repeat.