Report: Houston Astros Engaged with Arizona Diamondbacks Regarding Daulton Varsho
The Houston Astros have already added one superstar this offseason in José Abreu, why not one more?
The Arizona Diamondbacks informed teams at the Winter Meetings that outfielders Daulton Varsho, Jake McCarthy and Alek Thomas were all on the trading block.
All three are young, high-pedigree defense-first players. None will ever break home run records, but all will be extremely productive players at points in their career, if not already.
Perhaps foremost in value right now, is Varsho.
Prior to the 2020 season, Major League Baseball ranked him as baseball's No. 76 prospect.
Now he's begun to blossom as a hitter. Since 2021, his OPS+ is 107, and he's hit 38 home runs in 907 plate appearances, stealing 22 bases in 28 attempts. Far more important though to Varsho's game is his defense.
Splitting 103 starts last year between right field and center field, he was worth 19 defensive runs saved. By OAA, he ranked in the 99th percentile league-wide and in the 97th percentile in outfielder jump.
Though he's just in the 69th percentile sprint speed, Varsho's defensive instincts are good enough to make him one of the best outfielders in game, which is why the Astros are so deeply interested in him.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros have been engaged in discussions with the Diamondbacks regarding the young outfielder. Though the asking price will be very high, Varsho has four years of team control remaining.
Perhaps driving his value up even further is Varsho's background as a catcher. Coming up through college and the minors, catcher was his primary position. And in 30 or more games in each of 2021 and 2022, Varsho got innings behind the plate.
His positional versatility makes him an invaluable member of a contending team, but the Astros have a surplus of talent themselves.
Sporting baseball's best pitching staff in 2022, the Astros have a wide variety of talent to offer. From José Urquidy, who's too good for the back end of a rotation, to blossoming relief ace Bryan Abreu, Houston has a variety of trade starters.
The questions remain, can they create a viable package and are they willing to pull the trigger on a deal?
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