Author: /u/mrt_htx

The 2023 offseason, if handled correctly, can give us a lineup that has the potential to three-peat.

The roster in its current form is:

SP- Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy

Hunter Brown, Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Seth Martinez, Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris, Rafael Montero

CL- Ryan Pressly

C- Korey Lee, Martín Maldonado

1B- David Hensley 2B- Jose Altuve 3B- Alex Bregman SS- Jeremy Pena

RF- Kyle Tucker CF- Jake Meyers LF- Chas McCormick

DH- Yordan Alvarez

UTL- Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, J.J. Matijevic

*according to fangraphs

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This is not a bad roster by any means, but we all agree that we need to add to it to compete for the piece of metal again next year. I also think we agree that those additions need to be made at 1B and CF/LF

First action is to resign Verlander. After winning his third Cy Young Award, he will not come cheap, but he is worth every penny. JV in the rotation makes the Astros one of the scariest rotation 1-5. But more importantly, resigning him allows us to trade one of our young controllable starting pitchers to bolster not only our ability to win now but win in the future.

In the lineup, the first baseman I want to add is Christian Walker. For those who don’t know him, Christian Walker is a gold glove winner who hit 36 hrs with an OPS over .800. He has 2 year of control left on his contract and will only be 34 when he hits free agency.

The outfielder I want to add is Cedric Mullens. After a bad 2022, the Astros might be able to get him for less than he was going for last year. He would be a great addition to solidify the centerfield spot and allow the outfielders in minors to develop, and if worst case happens be a long term solution if Kyle Tucker does not resign.

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To figure out the trade to bring in both guys, I used the website www.baseballtradevalues.com/. A three way deal seems likely to be the only way for it to happen.

The Astros get:

1B- Christian Walker from ARI

CF- Cedric Mullins from BAL

1 or 2 prospects from BAL for example (INF- Joey Ortiz and OF- Reed Trimble)

The D-Backs get:

RF- Anthony Santander from BAL

RHRP- Ryne Stanek from HOU

INF- Jordan Westburg from BAL

The Orioles get:

SP- Luis Garcia from HOU

OF- Jake Meyers from HOU

OF- Jake McCarthy from ARI

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Reasons why the D-Backs would accept it is it meets their needs while selling high on one of their young lefty outfielders. Their 2 biggest needs are high velocity bullpen help and a righty in the outfield. Anthony Santander is a switch hitting outfielder with a lot of red in his baseball savant. Ryne Stanek could be exactly what the D-Backs need with his 97th percentile fastball velocity with a whiff rate in the 94th percentile. Brent Strom will get another crack at fixing him. Jordan Westburg, the fifth ranked prospect for BAL, also fills a need at shortstop where the D-Backs ranked 26th in WAR.

Reasons why the Orioles would accept the trade is it gives them a quality starting pitcher and a good young corner outfielder that fits their timeline. Luis Garcia would step into the number 1 or 2 spot depending on how the Os offseason goes. Jake McCarthy really came into his own as the season progressed hitting over .300 since July and is only getting better. He is also under team control until 2029 and would be filling the role in RF left vacant from Santander who is a free agent in 2025. Lastly, Jake Meyers will fill the CF role from Cedric Mullins and can hold down the starting spot until Colton Cowser, ranked 4th in their system, is ready. If the Os sign Carlos Correa, their window for the playoffs opens now and won’t close for a while.

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After the trade and signing, the Astros would have 2 open spots on their roster: a RP and a bench spot. I would think those could be filled with guys from the farm that are ready to have a chance in the majors, for example Shawn Dubin and Corey Julks.

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Astros roster would look something like:

SP- Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy

RP – Hunter Brown, Phil Maton, Shawn Dubin, Seth Martinez, Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris, Rafael Montero

CL- Ryan Pressly

C- Korey Lee, Martín Maldonado

1B- Christian Walker 2B- Jose Altuve 3B- Alex Bregman SS- Jeremy Pena

RF- Kyle Tucker CF- Cedric Mullens LF- Chas McCormick

DH- Yordan Alvarez

UTL- Mauricio Dubon, David Hensley, Corey Julks

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All but Martin is all under contract through 2024:

1. Cedric Mullens
2. Jose Altuve
3. Yordan Alvarez
4. Alex Bregman
5. Kyle Tucker
6. Christian Walker
7. Jeremy Pena
8. Chas McCormick
9. Martin Maldonado

Don’t think any of this is going to happen, but I think it would work.