The New-Look Houston Astros Lineup Is Still Unsettled
The Houston Astros performed major reconstructive surgery on their lineup this offseason. With less than a week to go before the regular season begins, they don’t appear to know what the finished product will look like.
Two mainstays in the heart of their batting order are gone. The club made efforts to re-sign longtime third baseman Alex Bregman during his prolonged free agency, but he ultimately agreed to a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. Earlier in the offseason, they dealt All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. Bregman and Tucker had been Astros teammates since 2018.
Future Hall of Famer Jose Altuve has played in Houston since 2011, and while he’s still an Astro, he could make an on-field move. The team is attempting to move him from his customary second base position to left field. In his career, he has played 1,742 games at second, two at shortstop, and none anywhere else other than designated hitter.
His transition hasn’t been smooth. While he has made some diving catches, he has been inconsistent at best when it comes to catching routine fly balls. The impetuses for the position change are the team’s stronger depth in the infield than in the outfield and his declining range at second base as he nears his 35th birthday. Left field is a less demanding position, but that doesn’t mean the infield-to-outfield move is guaranteed to succeed, as Hanley Ramirez can attest.
At least one of the players acquired in the Tucker trade is going to take over a vacated infield spot. Isaac Paredes is penciled in as the starting third baseman in Bregman’s place. He made his first All-Star appearance last season, but struggled in the second half and finished with a .238/.346/.393 batting line. He has experience at first base and second base too
