Houston Astros Considered Possible Landing Spot for Superstar Slugger

There is a lot of work to do for the Houston Astros before getting back into the playoff picture.

Beating the Minnesota Twins 5-2 in Game 2 of their series to give them an opportunity to win their first of the month of June is a good start.

After a quiet stretch of games, Yordan Alvarez got to the point of hitting two home runs during his 3-3 night that saw him drive in three of their five runs.

Getting him going will be paramount to their success if they want to play postseason baseball.

The other thing the Astros need to figure out is their first base situation.

They seem determined to make it work with veteran Jose Abreu, even though they sent him to their Florida complex to work on his swing for most of May. Manager Joe Espada said he liked what he saw from the slugger before he hit a home run Saturday.

If the former AL MVP winner can return to form, then Houston’s problems are solved.

But the last two campaigns have indicated that the 37-year-old is past his prime as he has turned in the worst performances of his career since signing a lucrative contract with the Astros.

For this reason, Jon Heyman of The New York Post thinks this front office could get aggressive as the trade deadline approaches and draft one of baseball’s premier power hitters, Pete Alonso, to solve their problems at first base.

“A rival suggested the Astros, Mariners and Jays as possibilities (if those teams buy),” he wrote.

It would certainly be a spectacular decision.

Alonso has been totally dominant at the plate since his rookie season in 2019 when he set a record with 53 home runs. Since then, he has hit more than 40 in two of the three full years since.

The superstar would almost certainly be a rental as he is expected to enter free agency after this season and is expected to land a lucrative contract that Houston likely won’t be willing to honor.

But, in the short term, it would give a major boost to this formation.

The Astros have some intriguing prospects they can trade to the New York Mets if they want to go that route, and if Abreu continues to look like he won’t be able to rediscover his old form at the plate, then this could be something. they continue.