New Trade Rumor: Astros Look to Deal All-Star for Rival’s Top Talent
The Houston Astros have some massive decisions to make involving a couple of their superstars. One potential trade could tackle both issues at once.
Trade talks surrounding the Astros’ three-time All-Star slugger Kyle Tucker are heating up once again. They will continue until he is moved or the trade deadline comes around once again.
Tucker is one of the team’s franchise players, but they need to move on if they don’t intend to pay him. Letting him walk in free agency rather than improving the roster with a massive haul would be a form of malpractice.
One of the teams that have been repeatedly mentioned as a destination for the outfield bat is the Philadelphia Phillies, the team Houston narrowly beat in the 2022 World Series.
The Phillies make perfect sense as a trade partner for Houston as they could help out in more ways than one. If done right, the Astros could fill a current roster hole as well as finally bolster the farm system.
A potential blockbuster trade could look like Houston sending Tucker to Philadelphia in exchange for third baseman Alec Bohm, pitching prospects Andrew Painter and outfield/first base prospect Carlos De La Cruz.
Bohm has become a popular potential trade piece over the past few weeks and is considered one of the more likely players to be moved at the deadline
He made his first All-Star game this past season after a red-hot start to the year. While the 27-year-old slowed down in the second half, he still finished with a .280/.332/.448 slashing line. He hit 15 home runs and drove in 97 RBI.
If the Astros let Alex Bregman walk in free agency, once again opting to not pay a star, then Bohm would be about as good of a replacement as possible.
The minor league players mentioned in this deal would also be massive wins.
Painter is the highest-ranked pitcher in the Phillies’ farm. He just started playing baseball again after missing both 2023 and 2024 due to injury, but still has plenty of hype around his stuff.
The 6-foot-7 flamethrower is still just 21 and already reached Double-A before turning 20. His time missed due to injury shouldn’t hold him back too much.
De La Cruz is a bit of a different story. He’s starting to age at 25-years-old and struggled at the Triple-A level last year, but still has the potential to become a real home run threat in the Majors. He hit 24 home runs back in 2023, but hit only 11 last season.
At 6-foot-8, he offers a potential answer at first base for the franchise. He’s mostly played in the outfield for Philadelphia, but does have experience at first as well.
Bringing in someone coming off of an All-Star campaign, an electric pitching prospect and a power-hitting slugger prospect would be an acceptable return for Tucker given his current contract status.
