A familiar face is returning to the Astros as the Astros dealt outfielder Jesus Sanchez to the Toronto Blue Jays for Joey Loperfido. Loperfido will be a familiar face as he was an Astros farmhand and had a cup of coffee with the 2024 team before he was dealt at the deadline as a part of a package that netted them Yusei Kikuchi. While the Astros are denying it, a part of the motivation seems to be add some payroll flexibility. Dana Brown himself said that the team was not necessarily done dealing.
There are a couple of points of note about this particular trade. The first is that Loperfido has five years of club control remaining and he has an option remaining. That means he could conceivably start the season in Sugar Land if there is not enough room for him at the big league level. However, Loperfido showed an ability to play all three outfield positions and first base, so he could offer the team more roster flexibility if he is able to stick out of Spring Training.
While he is a left-handed hitting outfielder, it remains to be seen whether this will open up the possibility of Isaac Paredes also being moved for another lefty hitting outfielder. We have seen rumors tying them to the Red Sox and Pirates earlier in the offseason. The Padres have also been floated in some circles as a potential trading partner.
One potential name has emerged from the Pirates. It has been reported that the Astros were interested in catcher Joey Bart. Bart would certainly offer more offensive punch than either of the catchers set to back up Yainer Diaz in camp. A Bart for Paredes swap seems light, so we would imagine something else would be included there from the Pirates end. Of course, that is just speculation on our part. What do you think of the trade today?
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