The Astros spent the offseason searching for a lefty. They took turns Jesus Sánchez for Joey Loperfido last week. That saves about $6MM in the difference between Sánchez’s arbitration salary and Loperfido’s minor league total but doesn’t change their roster balance. They came Cavan Biggio on a minor league deal and are reportedly looking closely Michael Confortowho will receive an unsigned invitation again after a difficult year in Los Angeles. They’re good depth targets but not a lock to make an MLB roster — let alone a meaningful upgrade.
Free agency offers those types of redirects at this point. Besides Conforto, there is also Max Kepler (suspended first 80 games after failed PED test), Jesse Winker again Alex Verdugo. If the Astros are going to make a significant move, it will have to be through a trade. Most of their commercial activities are tied to their willingness to give land Isaac Paredes given their internal logjam. That’s one way but obviously not the only way they could trade the left-handed hitter.
MLBTR readers are familiar with the top trade targets that fit the bill. Or Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu It would be a good fit but it seems good to stay in Boston. The Cardinals can face each other Lars Nootbaar this spring but they may prefer to hold onto him until the deadline, as they will be trading a bit of their left fielder coming off heel surgery. Last week Caleb Durbin/Kyle Harrison The exchange is a reminder that teams are exploring different avenues that don’t involve players that have been the subject of public trade speculation. It’s safe to assume the Astros have had some of those conversations behind the scenes. Let’s go over a few affordable left-handed bats that another club could look to acquire.
- Daylen LeeNations (pre-arbitration, enforceable until 2031)
Lile made his MLB debut in late May and hit the ground running, at least offensively. He posted a .299/.347/.498 slash line with nine home runs in 351 plate appearances. Lile is an excellent host. He has advanced communication skills and consistently hits a ton of line drives. While he doesn’t have much power, he should have a solid offensive floor based on batting average alone. He is a career .273 hitter in the minors and had the highest “expected” batting average in MLB last year (.302), according to Statcast.
All that said, the 23-year-old looks like a quality matchup player rather than a cornerstone of a rebuilding Nationals team. Lile was a central role model as he moved up through the farm system. Scouts never doubted the hitting tool but questioned how much of an impact he would make all around. He has fringe-average strength. Although he has more speed in a straight line, his reading on the field is difficult. Defensive Runs Saved had Lile 14 runs below average in over 600 innings. He was 10 runs worse than average per Statcast.
Defensive metrics in a single season can be volatile, but those grades are like an eye test. Here are a few examples of Lile turning what should have been easy outings into hits, mostly by playing with extra care in the catch. Maybe he’ll improve over time, but he’s not a good outfielder right now. The Astros don’t really care about protecting left field, play Jordan Alvarezdead work Michael Brantleyagain Jose Altuve out there in recent years. The Nationals have a new front office that was not involved in drafting or developing Lile. They will probably be open to negotiations.
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