Houston Astros: Three players to target before the Aug. 31 deadline
By T.A. Mock
Andrew McCutchen, OF, San Francisco Giants
Finally, a trade option that isn’t contingent on injuries. Left field has largely been a black hole for the Houston Astros this year. The team has cycled countless players through the left field position. Tony Kemp has performed admirably but, the team seems to want to keep him in more of a reserve/spot start role.
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McCutchen could help solidify that spot and strengthen the batting order. Cutch is a guy that could come in and get ABs at the top or middle of the lineup and be extremely successful. The former MVP is in the midst of a down year but, he’s been trending up in recent weeks.
The Giants acquired a bunch of vets in order to pioneer another even year playoff run but, it hasn’t quite turned out the way they planned it. They currently sit at 52-53 in a stacked NL West. The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Rockies are all currently ahead of them. They don’t seem quite ready to abandon ship yet but, it should happen soon.
Cutch hasn’t seen a ton of playoff time but, the time he has seen has been spent well. He has hit very well but, he hasn’t slugged super well. He has never been a major power hitter so, it’s not all that surprising. But, he could definitely be a table setter for the rest of the big bats in the lineup.
Cutch is probably the most likely of the three to be added. He fills an obvious need in this lineup as Kyle Tucker wasn’t quite panning out in his first cup of tea in the bigs. He’d add more defense, speed, and on-base percentage. Pull the trigger, Jeff!
Next. 2018 Trade Deadline Report Card. dark
It’ll be interesting to watch the season progress from here. A need may pop up due to a potential injury or an unexpected severe drop in production. It would be extremely shocking to not see the team at least enter discussions with a team. Luhnow would be remiss to not at least check on these three guys.