Earlier this offseason, the Houston Astros announced they were changing the name of their stadium. With Friday’s trade with the Chicago Cubs, the team is also announcing that it is going to change its roster as well.
According to multiple reports, the Astros are sending slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs in exchange for infielder Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and infield prospect Cam Smith, the 14th overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft.
Tucker has one more year of team control remaining. That means the Cubs will have the 27-year-old through 2025, then hope to find a way to keep a player who hit 23 home runs in an injury-interrupted 78 games last season.
The move could well start a domino effect for both the Cubs and Astros. Could Cody Bellinger be on his way out of the Windy City with Tucker now in the lineup? Bellinger has been connected to the Yankees often as they look for a replacement for Juan Soto’s bat in the Bronx.
On the Houston side, knowing Paredes can play third base, could this be another step toward the departure of current third baseman Alex Bregman? Again, Bregman has been linked to the Yankees (a strange set of circumstances considering Bregman has apologized for his role in last decade’s sign-stealing scandal that was a part of the Astros downing the Yankees in the postseason), but has also been connected to a potential trade with the Philadelphia Phillies as well.
Whatever happens from here, it’s clear that the defending American League West champions aren’t standing pat in their quest to get back to the postseason. Additionally, the Astros are acquiring pieces to help them in the future as Wesneski isn’t a free agent until after the 2029 campaign and Paredes still has three more years of team control to come.
It’s clear that Houston’s lineup will look different in 2025 than in years past. Just how different, however, remains to be seen, as the Tucker deal may have triggered a chain reaction for the Astros and other teams in what has already been a very busy December around Major League Baseball.
