Missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016 was a true wake-up call for the Houston Astros.
The Astros certainly aren’t the top dogs in the American League West anymore, given the Seattle Mariners’ deep playoff run, and this is the most flawed roster they’ve had in recent memory. The outfield, which was an ironclad strength for this team for most of the past decade, was well below league average this year, sporting a wRC+ of 88.
It seems counterintuitive, then, that the Astros could consider trading one of their most productive outfielders of this past season. However, that’s exactly what a Monday report claims they’re now willing to do.
According to Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Astros have been receiving interest in 29-year-old center fielder Jake Meyers, who is under team control for three more seasons and is coming off his first season of at least 100 games played and an OPS above .700.
“The Astros are open to moving him (Meyers) for a controllable major-league starter, according to people briefed on their discussions,” wrote Rosenthal and Woo. “And the interest in Meyers entering his age-30 campaign is considerable, other clubs say.
“The Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and (Tampa Bay) Rays are among the teams exploring upgrades in center field, along with the Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals.”
Meyers played 104 games this season and managed a career-high with 2.4 bWAR. He’s put up a fielding run value of 33 in his five partial seasons of action so far, and he comes equipped with postseason experience, though he only appeared in two games during Houston’s World Series run in 2022.
If the Astros are looking to remake their outfield on the fly, trading Meyers while his value is somewhat inflated makes some sense. They could be prepared to roll with a mix of Zach Cole and top prospect Jacob Melton covering center and left field.
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