Trade idea allows Orioles to ship elite prospects for Cy Young candidate

The Houston Astros are gearing up to win another World Series championship this year.

Although owner Jim Crane gave the impression that all offseason they would stay up and not make major additions, he changed his mind and allowed his front office to make Josh Hader the reliever highest paid in MLB history.

With the superstar closer in the mix, they were the American League favorites to compete in the Fall Classic.

So far, this prediction looks like anything but what could happen, as they are three games below .500 on Sunday and 4.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot.

Still, a team with this much talent and pedigree can warm up and start racking up wins, which they are currently doing as they are winners four in a row and seven of their last 10.

What’s impressive is that they’re doing this without Kyle Tucker, who has progressed much more slowly in his recovery than initially expected.

Their star right fielder was a legitimate AL MVP candidate before being injured and placed on injured reserve. When he returns, he will add a whole new dimension to this Astros offense, as he has throughout his career.

Unfortunately, this may be Houston’s penultimate year with him in the mix.

With control of his club expiring after the 2026 season, there’s a good chance he hits the open market as one of the most sought-after free agents, based on what he’s done over the course of of his four full seasons in the big leagues.

Of course, there’s always a chance that the Astros and Tucker could work out a long-term extension that would keep him with the franchise, but there has been no discussion of doing anything between the two sides after the failure conversations in 2021.

This prompted Chandler Rome to Athleticism saying he thinks it’s far too late for Houston to do anything favorable with its right defender.

“…the time to sign Tucker to an Astros-centric extension is long gone…His representatives at Excel Sports Management will demand the kind of contract Crane has long been reluctant to grant, beginning a saga that has played out in the past six seasons. George Springer, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa and Dallas Keuchel all experienced it elsewhere,” he writes.

It sounds bleak, but it’s reality.

The time for this franchise to work something out with Tucker is long past, as his representation is going to advise him to get a deal for what he’s worth.

If Houston doesn’t reach that level of compensation, there’s a good chance he’ll play baseball elsewhere after next season.