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The Houston Astros have possibly the best hitter in baseball in their lineup in Yordan Alvarez.
Alvarez appears to be staying put, as the Astros have no plan to move him at the trade deadline.
Instead, Houston will likely be buyers. At 45-47, the Astros are just 2.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for first place in the AL West.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Monday that a main priority on offense could be a left-handed-hitting outfielder.
"The Astros are searching for a left-handed-hitting outfielder with pop to better balance their lineup. There are not a lot of players available who fit that profile, but a few significant ones they should target include Jarren Duran, Kerry Carpenter, Ryan O’Hearn and maybe even Mickey Moniak," Bowden wrote.
Among the four outfielders Bowden listed, Duran was labeled as the best fit for the Astros.
"Duran needs a change of scenery and would thrive in the Astros’ strong clubhouse environment," he wrote.
Duran is on a struggling Boston Red Sox club that should be in full-on sell mode at the deadline.
The 2024 All-Star Game MVP has 13 home runs with 43 RBIs this season, though his .620 OPS in 81 games is much lower than expected.
MORE: Rays trade idea sends top-10 prospect in MLB to Tigers for Tarik Skubal
A player of Duran's caliber could benefit from a new home outside of Boston.
He's dealt with several incidents with fans over the years, and perhaps change is what's best.
The Astros could be a good landing spot, especially since they need another left-handed hitter in the middle of their order.
More MLB news:
- Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez is planned NL All-Star starter
- 3 reasons why Braves are perfect fit for Tarik Skubal at MLB trade deadline
- Padres have ‘no choice’ but to be trade deadline sellers if things don’t turn around
- Phillies DFA No. 13-ranked prospect Jean Cabrera to keep Bryan De La Cruz
- Blue Jays trade idea swaps two top-10 prospects to Mets for Freddy Peralta
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