Astros Player Acquired Ahead of Trade Deadline Seen as Offseason Trade Candidate

Keep an eye on the Houston Astros trying to trade this player in the offseason.

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How the Houston Astros approach roster building this offseason will be interesting to see.

They have a logjam in the outfield and infield following their acquisitions of Carlos Correa, Jesus Sanchez and Ramon Urias ahead of the trade deadline. And with Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes back healthy and top prospects Brice Matthews and Jacob Melton ready for more big league action, there is a lot to sort out.

Because of that, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Astros offload multiple players through trades this winter, using that as a way to clear up some space. But another option they have at their disposal is to non-tender contracts to some arbitration eligible players.

Urias is someone who could be non-tendered. While he wasn't used much by Houston after he was acquired, he also was disappointing when he was on the field with a .223/.267/.372 slash line and OPS+ that was 24 points below the league average of 100 across 35 games played.

Ramon Urias Seen as Someone Astros Could Trade This Offseason

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However, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com believes there are teams out there who might be interested in trading for the 2022 Gold Glover, with him stating, "Houston could non-tender Urias, but he also would have trade value to other clubs."

What the Astros might get back in return if they do put Urias on the trade block isn't clear, but he's just one season removed from having arguably the best offensive season of his career with a slash line of .254/.322/.423 to go along with 11 home runs, 37 RBIs and a career-high OPS+ of 114.

How Potential Urias Trade Would Affect Astros' Infield Set Up

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Shipping Urias out of town might not be preferable, but it would certainly help clear some things up when it comes to their logjam in the infield. With Mauricio Dubon already on the roster as their versatile utility man, trading Urias would create a less crowded depth chart.

Paredes would likely slide over and be the starting second baseman with Correa continuing to man the hot corner. Jeremy Pena would remain at shortstop and Jose Altuve would factor back into the outfield unit while also getting more days at designated hitter.

That would allow Matthews to either make the big league roster or be one of the first call-ups in case someone gets injured next season, which would allow him to start gaining actual MLB experience to continue his development after he got his first taste of The Show this year.

With all of that in mind, don't be surprised if Urias is shopped around this winter and a deal gets made.