Saturated Infield Could Force Astros To Trade Top Prospect Down the Line

Will the Houston Astros need to trade their top prospect in the future?

Apr 21, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With the MLB winter meetings right around the corner, talk is heating up regarding trades and next moves for teams. The Houston Astros are, as expected, involved in several rumors, but some may be more likely to occur than others.

Considering how saturated the Astros' infield is between Carlos Correa, Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve and Jeremy Peña, there could be some roster movement on the horizon down in Houston. The chances of their core stars seeing much movement are highly unlikely, but their top prospect could end up making a splash elsewhere.

Will Brice Matthews Stay in Houston?

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While with the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys this year, 23-year-old infielder Brice Matthews slashed .260/.371/.458 with 17 homers and 64 RBIs across 112 games. He appeared in 13 regular-season games with the Astros, where he slashed .167/.222/.452 with four home runs and nine RBIs. This wasn't a remarkable season for him, but the possibilities remain endless.

Matthews has star slugger potential, but he may not reach the pinnacle of his career in Houston. According to Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, the Astros could decide to trade him down the road, largely due to their current infield situation.

As it is, there will already be competition for playing time around the diamond. This isn't a bad state of affairs for the franchise, but as Reuter stated, it does leave Matthews "without a clear path and plenty of trade appeal."

Right now, Matthews is Houston's No. 1 prospect, and he's ranked at No. 93 overall — the only Astros' prospect to make the Top 100 list. This franchise is not particularly known for its robust farm system, and it hasn't been for quite some time. With that being said, it's nice to have Matthews on hand when the team needs to pull him up.

Holding onto the young talent for years to come could provide a decent payoff for Houston, but with a jumbled infield, it will be interesting to see what moves the Astros decide to make sooner rather than later. At the time of this writing, there hasn't been much talk revolving around a potential Matthews trade, but again, that doesn't mean it's impossible.

Anything can happen between now and Opening Day; hot stove season is known for groundbreaking moves with shocking, and sometimes unexpected, trades. As we've already seen in his offseason, franchises are wasting no time setting themselves up for success.

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