Houston Astros: A prospect that could be given up for Paul Goldschmidt

The Houston Astros have entered discussions with the Arizona D-Backs about the services of 1B Paul Goldschmidt. What prospect could be on the table? Look.

The Houston Astros have got hot and heavy hands as the Winter Meetings are on final approach a little under a month from now. The rumors are churning; and, as expected, the Houston Astros are at the forefront of those.

It’s good to know that all teams of the Big 3 franchises in Houston sports have been creating some off season buzz recently. Although the Houston Texans have been the ultimate “Johnny-Come-Lately’s” when it comes to making the big moves, with Brian Gaine at the helm, I do believe that will change.

There’s no question that Jeff Luhnow and Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey have done so in each season that they’ve shepherded the direction of their respective franchises.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the latest item to drop in the ever-burgeoning hot stove consisting of off season talks is that the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals are inquiring about the services of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

This is delightful news to hear at he’s the type of player that could impact the team’s trajectory of success for quite some time.

Whether or not if the Houston Astros are just kicking the tires on Goldy or if they seriously are trying to pry him away from the D-Backs, he’s is going to cost a ton and Rosenthal also indicates that the Houston Astros might have to take on another contract if such a pact were made.

What’s there to say about Goldschimdt?

The man has been a four-time All-Star, he’s ranked 28th in the majors in terms of WAR (40.1), and has the 3rd-highest OPS among active players at .930. I would reckon that his .297 batting average that he netted in 2018 is not too shabby.

What’s the best inference in regard to the Astros’ interest in Goldy? Take a listen to Robert Land and R.G. Seal on the Houston Sports Talk podcast:

To say he would impact the Houston Astros in a positive way would be an understatement and first base would be solidified for quite some time. Goldschmidt will be a free agent in 2020 and is owed $14.5 million in 2019 off a five-year, $32 million contract.

Could the Houston Astros swing such a trade? The definitely have the goods to do it and I’d love to pry away LHP Robbie Ray from them in a package. He’d be a lefty that they need help replace the likely void left by Dallas Keuchel.

Ray has a devastating mid-90s four-seamer along with a slider and curve that can do some damage as well. It will be welcomed and I’ll certainly overlook his 3.93 ERA in 2018 and more at his 12.0 K/9 and his 2017 All-Star season that he netted. Players can bounce back and Ray only pitched 123.2 innings as he was hampered by an oblique injury earlier this past season.

What prospect will move the needle?

I’m positive that the D-Backs are going to want one of their Top 10 prospects as the centerpoint of

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package and I’d imagine that Cionel Perez, Corbin Martin and J.B. Bukauskas are on the table.

But is Forrest Whitley — currently the team’s No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline — completely off-limits?

I wouldn’t rule it out, depending on the return the Houston Astros could get from the D-Backs but not likely.

It was reported that the Houston Astros were trying to acquire LHP James Paxton via trade from the Seattle Mariners but they refused to include Whitley in the deal. The Mariners ended up trading Paxton to the Yankees for Justus Sheffield, considered to be Yankees’ top prospect as per MLB.com. The Yankees also unloaded two other prospects as part of their pact.

Goldschmidt’s production is still strong as he’s in his mid-30s but to include one of their top prospects (i.e. Whitley) for him is extremely risky. But his 5.4 WAR is definitely an attribute about him that’s hard to ignore.

We’ll have to see how the off season pans out but the Houston Astros will have to get in line with a plethora of suitors pining for Goldschmidt’s services.

Next. Three ways for the Astros to land a starting ace. dark

Goldschmidt, 31, had a slash line of .290/.389/.533 along with 33 homers and 83 ribbies through 690 plate appearances in 158 games in 2018.

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