Former Astros Prospect Goes Nuclear in Opening Day Matchup for a Conference Rival

The Houston Astros have made quite a few trades in recent years, but one dating back to 2022 may come to cause regret in the front office.

Mar 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (52) reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have made many trades in recent years, notably sending away Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly this offseason, but also many other smaller deals that likely are not remembered in most cases.

One of the deals that happened and likely was forgotten rather quickly was for catcher Christian Vázquez, back in August 2022. The Astros would send out two lesser-known prospects in return, but now, one of them is beginning to break out at the MLB level, and it makes this trade sting all that much more.

The two prospects that the Boston Red Sox got in return for Vázquez were Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu. Valdez would end up struggling in his Major League time with the Red Sox and was eventually designated for assignment before landing with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Abreu on the other hand has been a standout for Boston, winning a Gold Glove Award in 2024 as a rookie and producing well on the offensive end, but struggling at times with left-handed pitching.

This offensive production would show no bounds on Opening Day this year, as Abreu would have three hits and one walk in four plate appearances, two of which were home runs, driving in four RBI and three total runs. Every run the Red Sox scored he had a hand in, including his 9th-inning three-run homer which would ultimately end up being the decider.

According to OptaSTATS, he is the only player since the RBI was first tracked in 1920 to, in one game, reach base every time up, drive in four or more runs, score or drive in all of his team's runs, hit a game-tying home run, and hit a go-ahead home run in the 9th inning or later.

This combined with the fact that he had a strong 2024 season at the MLB level stings for Houston, as they ultimately let him go for 35 games of Vázquez. It is worth noting that both Valdez and Abreu were Rule 5 draft eligible the year they were traded, and odds are they were not going to make the 40-man roster at that time, so they likely would have moved on regardless. But at the same time, letting a talent like Abreu go for a rough group of games from a veteran catcher is difficult.

While the Astros have begun to really get the best out of their trades under Dana Brown, some of the choices of the past are still coming to bite them a few years later.