The Houston Astros are reportedly open to the idea of trading a couple of its longtime stars.
The Astros are fielding multiple trade inquiries on outfielder Kyle Tucker, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome. Tucker is a three-time All-Star who’s spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Astros.
Aside from Tucker, the Astros are also said to be taking calls on All-Star pitcher Framber Valdez. Both Tucker and Valdez are entering the final year of the arbitration process.
Astros general manager Dana Brown on Monday spoke candidly about the team’s philosophy in the offseason. Brown did not rule out the possibility of trading Tucker or Valdez when asked about it.
“We won’t take anything off the table,” said Brown. “…You would listen on all the players. I don’t think that you would turn a deaf ear on any of these guys.”
Some thoughts from GM Dana Brown from his suite in Dallas, including being open to trading Tucker and/or Valdez.
Brown said earlier nothing is the off the tables pic.twitter.com/V9Sh909sQN
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 9, 2024
This time last year, there were rumblings that the Astros would consider trading third baseman Alex Bregman before he hit free agency. Brown denied that the team was willing to move Bregman at the time. Sure enough, the Astros held on to Bregman throughout the 2024 campaign. Brown noticeably took a different stance with Tucker and Valdez this time around.
Over the last few seasons, Tucker has turned into one of the American League’s best hitters. The 27-year-old batted .289 with 23 home runs, 49 RBIs, and an OPS of .993 last season. However, Tucker played in just 78 games due to a lingering shin injury.
Valdez is a few years older than Tucker but will likely draw similar interest from teams needing ace-caliber starting pitching. The 30-year-old left-hander had a stellar 2.91 ERA last season with a 1.10 WHIP and 169 strikeouts across 28 starts. He finished seventh in AL Cy Young voting and even received an MVP vote.
While no trade is reportedly imminent just yet, the Astros would likely receive an abundance of prospects in return for either Tucker or Valdez.
