Are the Houston Astros making preparations for Dallas Keuchel to eventually leave the team in free agency? It seems like that thought is in their minds.
News came out on Sunday from Fan Rag Sports’ Jon Heyman that Keuchel has hired Scott Boras as his agent.
Agent news: Dallas Keuchel has hired Scott Boras
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 10, 2017
Boras is known for helping his clients explore free agency and is one of the best in the business at getting players top dollar. Keuchel will be a free agent after the 2018 season, so him hiring Boras is a possible indication that he is serious about maximizing his value, which might only be realize by signing with another team.
In related news, two reporters on Monday said the Astros were interested in adding another ace this offseason.
Astros made efforts to land Giancarlo but never came very close to a deal. They do have $ coming off the championship and will take a look at darvish/arrieta, tho they will take a “disciplined” approach. @Ken_Rosenthal mentioned ace possibility
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 11, 2017
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal said the Astros were interested in Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta, who are among the top free agent pitchers, as well as potential trade candidate Chris Archer.
Houston is coming off a World Series win and may want to capitalize on their window of opportunity, which could explain the strong interest in adding more pitching help. An alternate motive could be to make preparations for Keuchel potentially leaving after next season. They also know that Justin Verlander’s contract expires after 2019, so they’ll need to replace him eventually as well. The Astros may be doing their best to get ahead of a problem.
