Houston Astros Predicted to Sign Former Yankees Star to Bolster Lineup

Will the Houston Astros sign this former Los Angeles Dodgers prospect and New York Yankees slugger to bolster their outfield?

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (24) hits an RBI single during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With Spring Training right around the corner, it has been a very busy offseason for the Houston Astros.

Coming into the winter, the Astros were certainly a team that was expected to look a bit different heading into 2025. Due to a loss to the Detroit Tigers in the American League Wild Card Round, changes seemed imminent to their core.

Third baseman Alex Bregman entered free agency as the best player at his position. With some steep contract demands, it seemed unlikely that Houston would be willing to get to the number he was looking for.

What came as a real shock was the decision to trade star outfielder Kyle Tucker. With one year left on his contract, the Astros traded the talented slugger to the Chicago Cubs for a package of three players.

Even though the door doesn’t seem completely closed on bringing back Bregman all of a sudden, Houston will more than likely be starting on Opening Day with a much different looking lineup compared to last year.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently predicted what the lineup would look like for the Astros on Opening Day. He highlighted them adding left-handed slugger Alex Verdugo to fill a void in their outfield.

“One to-do list item the team does still need to address is finding a left-handed hitting outfielder who can compete with Taylor Trammell and Mauricio Dubón for the left field job this spring. Alex Verdugo and Jason Heyward are like the most likely fits," he wrote.

In the trade that sent Tucker to the Cubs, Houston received back Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith, both of whom are third basemen. This seemed to be the clear indication that Bregman wouldn’t be returning. However, talk of potentially moving Paredes to second base and Jose Altuve to the outfield has been floated as an idea, if Houston can lure Bregman back.

That still feels unlikely at this point and getting some help for the outfield should be a priority before the start of the season. Currently, the unit is looking a bit on the weaker side from an offensive standpoint. With that being said, signing a player like Verdugo makes sense.

The former second-round pick has had a nice career so far, but is coming off a down year with the New York Yankees. In 2024, Verdugo totaled a .233 batting average, 13 home runs, 61 RBIs and saw a noticeable drop in his OPS.

Houston would likely be able to get Verdugo on a very affordable prove it deal considering his struggles from last year. However, he is motivated to bounce back and plays like he did prior to 2024, he could end up being a steal for the Astros to help fill the void left by Tucker.