Why Juan Soto to the Astros Makes Sense

Outfield Depth

The Houston Astros are an already stacked team, but adding Juan Soto could put them over the top. With left fielder Michael Brantley hitting the market as a free agent following the season"s end, the Astros could be a favorite to land Soto.

Assuming that Brantley leaves, the outfield could look similar to this,

Left Field- Yordan Alvarez

Center Field- Kyle Tucker

Right Field- Juan Soto

Yes, the Astros do have options at center field such as Chas McCormick, Jose Siri, and Jake Meyers. However, with the addition of Soto, those guys could possibly be sent down or traded.

The center field position has been probably the only position aside from catcher that could use some help offensively, and by moving Tucker to center, not only are you getting great defense, you"re getting an amazing bat.

If the Astros somehow land Soto, they"d have one of the best outfields in recent memory.

What"s the price?

Trading for Soto won"t be easy, as the Nationals are likely to demand lots in return. When you take a look back at the 2018 Bryce Harper to the Astros trade that didn"t go through, the Nationals would receive just three minor leaguers, which begs the question of what would the Nats want?

The players that Houston could most likely give up for Soto could be Jose Siri, Chas McCormick, Pedro Leon, and many others. The Astros could very well give up three of those players for Soto, here"s an example:

Astros receive: OF Juan Soto

Nationals receive: OF Jose Siri, OF Chas McCormick, OF Pedro Leon

The only flaw to this trade is the fact that the Astros may be a bit reluctant to trade any of these players, considering Siri and McCormick have each been great in their own ways since their debuts last season, and Leon is an outstanding OF awaiting a call-up.

Closing Thoughts

Every team in MLB wants Soto, he is an incredible player that can help turn a franchise around or help take them all the way. Although the Astros are already loaded and have some minor league talent on the way, it would be a cool sight for Astros fans to see the guy who beat them in the 2019 World Series finally join the Astros.

Juan Soto doesn"t officially become a free agent until 2025, so there is still time for contract negotiations between Soto and the Nationals. 2025 is still three years away, a lot can happen from now to then so maybe the Nationals will hold on to Soto for a little longer.

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