19 hours ago
What I'm hearing on MLB trade deadline: Astros have shown interest in Eugenio Suárez
HOUSTON — Before the Houston Astros opened a series at Chase Field on Monday afternoon, Jose Altuve emerged from the first-base dugout to visit a friend. Eugenio Suárez stopped his conversation, walked over toward his countryman and wrapped him in a hug.
Suárez and Altuve played together during the 2023 World Baseball Classic on a Venezuelan national team managed by Astros bench coach Omar López. The trio remains close, providing an obvious connection between the trade deadline's top power-hitting target and a Houston team desperate for a spark.
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Sobering news on Sunday only strengthened Suárez's potential fit. General manager Dana Brown's revelation that third baseman Isaac Paredes is seeking a second opinion for a strained right hamstring that is 'a little more severe than we projected' must prompt at least some concern that Paredes' season is over.
Brown never acknowledged as much on Sunday, but it would behoove him to approach the next four days with such a reality in mind. Scoring seven runs in a four-game sweep against the cellar-dwelling A's only accentuated how lean Houston's lineup is without Paredes or the plethora of other injured position players.
Losing on Sunday still left the Astros four games up in the American League West and, according to FanGraphs, still with a 54.2 percent chance to win the division.
'I don't think I'm really thinking about (the deadline),' Altuve said after the 7-1 loss. 'I'm thinking about the guys we have here. The guys that are showing up every day to play the game. We're still in first place, so we're going to leave it up to (the front office) and see our guys get healthy at some point and join the club.'
Suárez is the most straightforward way to address Paredes' potential season-long absence and, according to multiple league sources, the Astros have at least checked in with the Arizona Diamondbacks to make their interest known.
Whether Houston has enough prospect capital to compete with Suárez's slew of other suitors is a legitimate question. Another is perhaps more pertinent: is Suárez even an ideal fit for the Astros' current roster?
Brown has not hidden the fact he is searching for a left-handed bat, a stance he reiterated on Sunday. Suárez hits right-handed and is strikeout-prone, problematic for an offense that — at full strength — has no balance and prides itself on putting the ball in play.
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Houston entered Sunday with a 21.1 percent strikeout rate. Major-league average is 21.9 percent. Suárez led the American League in strikeouts in both 2023 and 2024 with the Seattle Mariners and would run counter to one of the hallmarks of this Astros' offense.
More concerning, though, is Suárez's defense at third base. According to Baseball Savant, he is worth minus-6 outs above average. Sports Info Solutions says Suárez is worth minus-3 defensive runs saved.
The Astros awoke on Sunday with an infield worth 13 outs above average, the second-highest mark in the American League and a byproduct of their intentional offseason.
Houston convinced Altuve to abandon second base, signed three-time Gold Glove winning first baseman Christian Walker and hired infield coach Tony Perezchica away from the Diamondbacks — all in an effort to upgrade its infield defense.
Acquiring Suárez could threaten that continuity, though perhaps Perezchica has some suggestions on how to make him more serviceable. Perezchica has already received ample praise from team officials about his work with both Paredes and All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña.
Make no mistake, though, any team acquiring Suárez is doing so for his slug — something the Astros sorely need.
Suárez may be the sexier name, but Minnesota Twins utilityman Willi Castro is also of interest to the Astros and a far better fit for their roster.
Castro is a switch-hitter with starts at six different defensive positions this season, versatility that would be valued as the Astros' nine injured position players are activated. Castro has made 26 starts at second base and 25 in left field — the two most unsettled positions on Houston's major-league roster.
Castro entered Sunday slashing .254/.344/.425 across 327 plate appearances and without a drastic difference from either side of the plate. He has a .739 OPS hitting left-handed and an .836 mark as a righty, making it more than feasible that he could either form half of a platoon or handle everyday playing time.
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Both Castro and Suárez are rentals being sought after by a bevy of contending teams, again inviting wonder if the Astros can win a bidding war against clubs with deeper farm systems.
Though the Tampa Bay Rays had previously shown no indication of moving left-handed hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe, their pre-deadline freefall could change the calculus. If Lowe does become available, expect the Astros to be involved, but the pursuit comes with something of a caveat.
Lowe is currently on the injured list with a left foot and ankle problem. The optics of a team with 18 players on the injured list trading for a 19th would be, at best, suspect.
Nick Kurtz awoke on Friday morning worth 2.3 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. If Kurtz ever fell asleep that night, he did so worth 3.0, offering a modern way to quantify one of the best offensive performances in Major League Baseball history.
Kurtz's six-hit, four home run performance propelled him over teammate Jacob Wilson and Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez for the highest fWAR among American League rookies.
The mere impact of Kurtz's historic night — and how it will be remembered beyond this weekend — may have sewn up American League Rookie of the Year honors for Kurtz after just 67 major-league games.
A resurgence from Cam Smith could shift the conversation. Houston would welcome it for both draft-pick purposes and pursuing a championship.
Smith is 5 for his past 51 with four singles and a double. He trails Kurtz, Wilson and Narvaez on the fWAR leaderboard. Concerns about Smith's workload are growing, as is the lack of protection he has in a lineup where he is now one of the few players opponents are circling.
Smith has a .641 OPS across his past 119 at-bats. Manager Joe Espada toyed with batting him leadoff after Peña fractured his rib on June 27, but moved Smith down to sixth for Sunday's series finale against the A's. He finished 0-for-3.
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'I want (him) just to calm down and swing at good pitches and drive the ball,' Espada said before the game. 'Of late, he's chasing a little bit more than we normally see out of him. But when he's in the (strike) zone and he gets his good pitches to hit, we know he's capable of doing some damage.'
Smith's swoon should be expected for any rookie, much less one with 32 games of minor-league experience. It also underscores the importance of procuring another outfield option who could spell Smith — either as a method of managing his workload or to provide a better at-bat, if these offensive struggles continue.
Left-handed hitting outfield prospect Jacob Melton, who has played in two minor-league rehab games while recovering from a sprained ankle, fits the bill. So could Castro.
(Top photo of Eugenio Suárez: Norm Hall / Getty Images)
