Astros deadline moves put top prospects’ futures in jeopardy

Brice Matthews and Jacob Melton are the Astros’ two best prospects, but their futures are uncertain following Houston’s busy trade deadline. 

General Manager Dana Brown made three deals last week, including a shocking trade for shortstop Carlos Correa, who won the 2017 World Series with the Astros. Houston also acquired outfielder Jesus Sanchez and utility infielder Ramon Urias, while shortstop Jeremy Pena will return from injury on Friday, improving the lineup even more. 

Melton and Matthews were optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to continue their development before Correa and Sanchez’s arrival at Fenway Park on Friday. 

Chandler Rome of The Athletic believes this complicates both prospects’ Major League future. 

“Performance will always dictate roster construction, but on paper, both Melton and Matthews appear to be blocked from everyday big-league roles for at least the next two seasons,” he wrote. 

That’s because the Astros infield now includes Correa, who takes over at third base and is under contract for the next three seasons, while Pena has two more years of arbitration eligibility. Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker are under team control for two more seasons as well. That leaves little room for Matthews, who is primarily playing second base in Triple-A. 

It doesn’t look much better for Melton—a left-handed-hitting outfielder just like Sanchez, who is already batting second in the Astros lineup. Jake Meyers, currently on the 10-day IL, and Cam Smith round out Houston’s trio of starting outfielders. 

Matthews is a 2023 first-round pick out of Nebraska who is originally from Houston. He’s slashing .281/.397/.475 with 10 homers and 41 RBI in 75 games at Triple-A this season and made his MLB debut earlier last month, appearing in 11 games before being optioned. 

Melton is a 2022 second-rounder out of Oregon State who made his Major League debut in June. He appeared in 13 games for the Astros this season but has been much more productive at Triple-A with a .270/.375/.514 slash line in 21 games.