Houston Astros Rumors: The final trade package that will land JT Realmuto

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Houston Astros OF /

The headliner: Kyle Tucker, OF, #1 prospect

Giving up Kyle Tucker will be a tough pill to swallow no matter the return. He is the team’s top prospect and has absolutely crushed the baseball at all levels of the minor leagues. I mean, you don’t get compared to Ted Williams without there being a good reason. The Marlins are said to covet talented left-handed bats like Tucker’s.

However, it seems his struggles in his first cup of tea in the majors gave the team some doubt and they have seemingly removed his ‘untouchable’ tag and would be willing to include him in a deal. The Houston Astros may be in the market to add an outfielder which could further block Tucker, as well. Again, this would be a really big loss but Realmuto is one of the few guys that would be worth it.

Filling a prospect need: Freudis Nova, SS, #9 prospect

The Marlins farm system is in the middle of the road, they graduated a lot of top prospects this past year and so their top end is depleted. However, they still have quite a few outfielders and pitchers at the top of their prospect list. One of the biggest weakness is their lack of top end infield depth.

That’s where Freudis Nova could come into play. He was one of the best all-around international prospects in his class with his ability projected to positively impact all five phases of the game. He’s compared favorably to two players, Edgar Renteria and Hanley Rameriz. The Marlins know Rameriz well so that should excite them. Nova would likely become their top infield prospect the second he’s acquired.

Value pitching prospect: Framber Valdez, LHP, #11 prospect

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The final piece to this deal should be a higher level pitching prospect. The Houston Astros organization is saturated with high-level pitching prospects that team either needs to offload or fit into the rotation. They have the internal pieces to fill out the rotation entirely with prospects but that is not ideal.

That would make some of these guys expendable. Framber Valdez should be one of the guys at the top of the list. He is a quality left-handed arm that could make an impact on a rotation immediately. After the way he pitched last year down the stretch, he’d be hard to lose but he doesn’t project as a top of the rotation guys and there are other players that could fill a similar role.

The Marlins also only have one lefty in their rotation in Wei-Yen Chen who is aging and struggling so he fills a need there as well. Valdez could fill a role in Miami’s rotation this year and in years beyond so, they should be glad to add him.

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For the Houston Astros and fans alike, giving up top prospect Tucker is a tough thing to consider doing. He projects as an elite outfielder but his first-year struggles can cast doubt. If they can acquire Realmuto, losing him and others is worth it.

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