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Houston Astros: Top four options to replace Marwin Gonzalez

By Brian K. Patterson

Houston Astros Manager A.J. Hinch (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Houston Astros Manager A.J. Hinch (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – SEPTEMBER 23: Jose Martinez #38 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a two-RBI double against the San Francisco Giants in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium on September 23, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – SEPTEMBER 23: Jose Martinez #38 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a two-RBI double against the San Francisco Giants in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium on September 23, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

Player #4: Jose Martinez

Long-rumored to be put up on the block if the St. Louis Cardinals decided to be sellers, Jose Martinez would be an excellent replacement for Marwin.  But because his hitting line reads more like a Perfect-10 scorecard at a wet t-shirt contest, his value will be HIGH and there will be a line of teams clamoring for his services.

An accustomed first baseman, Martinez also has the ability to play in the outfield as well, particularly in the corners which certainly upgrades his value even more.  It’s going to take a

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lucrative haul to send over to the Cardinals and I’m sure the names mentioned in a potential deal will include Forrest Whitley and Kyle Tucker.

This man is as clutch as it comes — he’s a career .372 hitter with RISP and two outs and even bats at .338 when the team is trailing.  There’s no stopping this hitting machine and I’d love to have him here.

In terms of defense, his UZR is a tad below-average (-1.0) but is a marked improvement from the 2017 season (-4.3).

He is under club control until 2022 so one wouldn’t have to worry about his contract for at least the next few seasons if he were to become a member of the Astros.

Could a deal for Martinez theoretically happen?  It’s possible but it depends on what’s going to get Cards’ general manager Mike Girsh to pick up the phone.  I certainly would if I were him.

Martinez, 30, batted .305/.372/.478 along with 83 RBIs and 17 home runs through 590 plate appearances in 2018.

We’ll have to see.

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So these are my four players that could potentially take the sting off of a possible MarGo departure but ultimately we’ll have to monitor what happens this winter.  The Astros may just give him what he wants because the best option ultimately for Marwin is having Marwin on this squad.

How do you feel?  Feel free to sound off in the comments section below.

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