Don't Count Houston Astros Out From Trading for Outfielder

Houston GM Dana Brown has time to pull off a trade before Opening Day.

Houston Astros hat | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Opening Day is just five days away for the Houston Astros, who will welcome the Los Angeles Angels to Daikin Park on Thursday afternoon. Manager Joe Espada still needs to make some final roster decisions to make before the first pitch is thrown.

It appears that the Astros roster is all but set. General manager Dana Brown made some moves this season, but you can make the case that he hasn't filled all the holes he has.

Trades could still be made and there are players on Houston's roster that other teams would still covet. However, could a last-minute deal happen? If so, there is one trade that Brown could make to improve his roster.

Astros Need To Trade for an Outfielder

Joey Loperfido | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

When there were rumors of Isaac Paredes all winter, Houston was looking for an outfielder, preferably from the left side of the plate. The Boston Red Sox were the team most linked with them, having Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran as potential candidates.

Brown ended up trading for Joey Loperfido from the Toronto Blue Jays, and he's expected to battle for the starting spot with Zach Cole.

Loperfido has 122 games under his belt in two seasons between the Astros and Blue Jays. He has a career slash line of .248/.297/.392 with eight home runs and 39 runs driven in.

It's a small sample size for the 26-year-old, but it remains to be seen if he's going to be able to put it all together and turn into an everyday outfielder.

Cole is a bit of an unknown as well, with just 15 games under his belt last season. Whoever gets the nod from Espada is going to have to prove that they can handle it before any drastic change is made.

Astros Unlikely to Part Ways With Isaac Paredes Right Now

Isaac Paredes | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Trading Paredes over the offseason made a ton of sense, but not right now. The injury to Jermey Pena has squashed any thoughts anyone had of that happening now. Paredes is likely going to begin the season at third base with Carlos Correa sliding over to shortstop in Pena's place.

It remains to be seen if Brown is going to address the need for an outfielder who can provide Houston with offense, if he does. If things aren't working out a month into the season, changes could be made, as the heat could be on Espada and Brown after last season's collapse.