MLB Insider Hints at Potential Astros Trades to Fill Offseason Needs

Things could be an interesting winter for the Houston Astros.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros' biggest question surrounding them this offseason is with ace Framber Valdez.

Does he stay or does he go? Things could begin to heat up surrounding the left-hander this week at the General Managers meetings in Las Vegas. If they lose Valdez, he would be tough to replace, as he and Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres headline the free agent pitchers this winter. Like a lot of other teams, the Astros will have to figure out a backup plan.

One way that they could go about filling Valdez's spot on the roster is through a trade, and according to Mike Petriello of MLB.com, they have some players who could get moved this offseason to fill a need within the pitching staff.

MLB Writer Hints at Potential Astros Trade Chips to Fill Needs

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"Can Christian Walker provide more? Can Yordan Alvarez stay healthy? Is Jose Altuve a second baseman, a left fielder, or a DH? How does Isaac Paredes fit into the puzzle with first and third both spoken for? Is Cam Smith the early-season sensation (.776 OPS through end of June) or the overmatched second half rookie (.546 OPS final three months). It seems likely a trade is coming from this group in some way, potentially to help a stunningly soft-tossing pitching group which badly needs to find some flamethrowers,'' Petriello wrote.

It was reported that Houston could be looking to get out from under Christian Walker's contract already, so that is a logical place to start. How much they would get in return isn't clear, though, so expecting a premier starting pitcher to come back in return might not be wise.

However, it's clear the Astros have to upgrade that part of their roster. One of their downfalls that cost them the American League West division to the Seattle Mariners was their overmatched pitching staff. So unless they are willing to spend money this winter for someone like Dylan Cease, then a trade would make sense to acquire what they need for their rotation.

Missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016 was not how a lot of people envisioned Houston's season would end, but in order to get back in the mix with the Mariners and the rest of the contenders in the American League, some tough offseason decisions are in store for the Astros this winter.