Earlier this offseason, the Houston Astros introduced they have been changing the name of their stadium. With Friday’s commerce with the Chicago Cubs, the staff can also be asserting that it will change its roster as effectively.
According to multiple reports, the Astros are sending slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs in trade for infielder Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and infield prospect Cam Smith, the 14th total decide within the 2024 MLB draft.
Tucker has yet one more 12 months of staff management remaining. Meaning the Cubs could have the 27-year-old via 2025, then hope to discover a technique to maintain a participant who hit 23 house runs in an injury-interrupted 78 video games final season.
The transfer may effectively begin a domino impact for each the Cubs and Astros. Might Cody Bellinger be on his approach out of the Windy Metropolis with Tucker now within the lineup? Bellinger has been related to the Yankees typically as they search for a substitute for Juan Soto’s bat within the Bronx.
On the Houston facet, figuring out Paredes can play third base, may this be one other step towards the departure of present third baseman Alex Bregman? Once more, Bregman has been linked to the Yankees (an odd set of circumstances contemplating Bregman has apologized for his function in final decade’s sign-stealing scandal that was part of the Astros downing the Yankees within the postseason), however has additionally been related to a possible commerce with the Philadelphia Phillies as effectively.
No matter occurs from right here, it is clear that the defending American League West champions aren’t standing pat of their quest to get again to the postseason. Moreover, the Astros are buying items to assist them sooner or later as Wesneski is not a free agent till after the 2029 marketing campaign and Paredes nonetheless has three extra years of staff management to return.
It is clear that Houston’s lineup will look completely different in 2025 than in years previous. Simply how completely different, nonetheless, stays to be seen, because the Tucker deal could have triggered a sequence response for the Astros and different groups in what has already been a really busy December round Main League Baseball.
