The Astros have been looking for a left-handed hitter for most of the season and have shown interest recently Michael ConfortoBrian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. McTaggart added that Houston’s chances of trading an infielder Isaac Paredes they have “shrunk” recently. Houston has reportedly been exploring the possibility of adding another left-handed bat in the form of a Paredes trade.
Conforto, 33 on March 1, is coming off a career-worst season with the Dodgers, in which he slashed .199/.305/.333 in 486 trips to the plate. It’s the first time the 2014 first-round pick and 2017 All-Star has been rated below average in the major league career. That said, Conforto’s career has been in a bit of a tailspin since a shoulder injury forced him to miss the 2022 season.
Since returning from surgery, Conforto has played three seasons with the Giants and Dodgers, hitting .225/.316/.390 in 1444 plate appearances. He’s still drawing more walks (10.5% in that span) but he’s hitting more grounders and weaker fly balls than in the past, and his line drive rate has dropped significantly (22.4% from 2015-21; 17.8% since). Conforto tends to hit well and is close to average in lefty-to-lefty matchups, but he’s been better against lefties over the past two seasons (albeit in a small sample of 184 lefty plate appearances).
Given Conforto’s lackluster performance since shoulder surgery and his poor showing last season, the price tag to sign him won’t be huge. At best, he could command a cheap one-year deal, but with spring training underway and interest not looking strong all winter, Conforto could simply sign a minor league deal and head to big league camp with the Astros.
Jordan Alvarez is the only established left-hander on Houston’s roster. Small players who play outside Zach Cole again Joey Loperfido they are in the mix for Opening Day roster spots but have little major league experience. Simply put, the outfield in Houston is unstable, regardless of the player’s hand. Jake Meyers it’s locked in the middle, but the whole picture seems worth taking. The team wants Alvarez to spend more time at DH than left field this year. Cam Smith he had a big spring last year and a great start to his rookie season before fading significantly as the year went on. Cole shot at a 35% clip in the minors. Loperfido posted nearly league-average innings with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A club (before being sent back to Houston last week). Former first rounder Brice Matthews he’s a middle infielder by trade but has begun to shift to the outfield because of Houston’s crowded mix.
The Astros explored a trade for Paredes all winter. His status as a starting third baseman was enhanced when they recovered Carlos Correa at the trade deadline last year. Paredes can also play first base, but that’s under wraps Christian Walker in Houston. He’s owed $40MM over the next two seasons and surprisingly hasn’t received any trade interest at that level. An ideal scenario would see the ‘Stros get a trade that sends Paredes for a veteran corner, but come up empty despite a big effort, so it wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see them look at less expensive free agent options in their quest to add a left-handed bat.
