The Houston Astros had a solid offseason, especially when it came to their starting rotation, where all their moves have paid off.

The position players are overflowing with talent, and an early injury to Jeremy Peña doesn’t require Houston to make a trade — for now. As for the bullpen, the hope is that Josh Hader and Bennett Sousa will be back soon.

The outfield is a work in progress. But the trade the Astros could make to start the season involves someone who could also be one of their starters come opening day.

The Trade the Astros Could Make

Recently, center fielder Jake Meyers told the Crush City Territory pod that he felt great about his offseason and is focused on staying healthy and bouncing back at the plate. Last season he missed more than a month with a calf strain and returned as Houston was trying to stay in the playoff picture. Still, he slashed .292.354/.373 with three home runs and 24 RBI.

He’s a great defender. Per Statcast, he has a career run value of 33 on defense, with 42 outs above average since he made his MLB debut in 2021.

So, why attempt to trade him? Two reasons. First, he’s in his arbitration years. He has two more years of team control before he becomes a free agent in 2028. With a new collective bargaining agreement coming in 2027 — barring a strike or lockout this offseason — that could change the Astros’ rights to Meyers, though it’s unlikely. But, with two years of team control, that can bring a higher return in trade.

Second, Houston has young players it’s trying to get into the lineup and, thanks to its logjam in the infield, it’s not possible. The Astros have started cross-training infielder Brice Matthews as an outfielder late in spring training. He played a smattering of games in center field in the minor leagues in 2025. Houston also has a Gold Glove finalist in right field in Cam Smith, who has the speed and tools to play center field.

Houston has tried making a deal to improve their outfield and lineup this offseason. At one point, the Astros were rumored to be pursuing Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, with Isaac Paredes the likely return for Boston. But the deal never happened and with Peña’s minor injury Paredes has more value to Houston for now.

Houston general manager Dana Brown has sought to add a left-handed hitting outfielder this offseason, and even though he landed Joey Loperfido in a deal in February the sense is that he wasn’t done yet. If there’s a move to be made to add one more left-handed hitter, Meyers may be the cost paid to get the deal done before opening day because of his control status, his production and his defense.