Ideally, the Houston Astros will acquire a first baseman this offseason.
Last year, they had to cycle multiple players at the position after their previous high-priced signing, Jose Abreu, failed to the point that the team had no choice but to cut him.
After deciding to move on from Yuli Gurriel due to his age, the Astros no longer have a reliable cover.
However, that could change this winter.
There are plenty of high-end possibilities for them to pursue on the open market, but at this point, that only appears likely if they are unable to re-sign Alex Bregman, given the type of contract they would have to offer their franchise cornerstone to bring him back to Houston.
So, while game changers like Pete Alonso and Christian Walker are essentially off the table depending on Bregman’s decision, they’ll have to look at some other options if they want to shore up that unit.
Someone Brian McTaggart of MLB.com thinks the Astros could have interest in is veteran slugger Carlos Santana.
“The Astros ranked 26th of 30 MLB teams with a .651 OPS by their first basemen. Santana, a switch-hitter, could be the perfect short-term solution at the position … He’s tough to strike out, whiffing just 16.7% of his plate appearances while walking 10.9%. Santana had a .934 OPS against left-handers and .676 against right-handers,” he writes.
The last part is something that could play a major factor.
Houston was uncharacteristically poor with plate discipline this past season, something the front office and manager has already told the hitting coaches they need to improve upon.
And even though Santana being 38 years old might scare some Astros fans based on what happened with Abreu, the veteran slugger just put together a campaign where he slashed .238/.328/.420 with 23 homers and 71 RBI across his 150 games, while also providing Gold Glove-winning defense.
Spotrac puts his market value at $5.6 million for a one-year deal, something that could certainly interest Houston even if they re-sign Bregman.
Santana would provide exactly what the Astros are looking for this offseason.
Not only does he bring some pop to the lineup with his bat and elite defense to the position, but he’s also a versatile switch-hitter who is hard to strike out.
Keep an eye on Houston’s interest in the longtime slugger as the Hot Stove heats up.
