Astros trade proposal swaps fan favorite outfielder for All-Star in strange move

The Houston Astros need another outfielder, specifically one to play left field. Allowing Jose Altuve to return to second base and bringing in a new bat for left field would be a top move for the team to make at the trade deadline. 

In a recent trade pitch from Eric Cole of Climbing Tal's Hill of Fansided, the Astros would add an All-Star outfielder in Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins. That would be a great idea, but Cole pitched that to make such a move, the Astros would be moving on from fan favorite outfielder Jake Meyers.

"However," Cole wrote. "Jake Meyers' performance this season is a clear outlier when compared to the rest of his career, and selling high on him has a lot of merit. In Mullins, Houston would get what they always hope for out of Meyers while addressing their need for help on the left side of the plate."

This kind of move from the Astros would be a very strange one. Mullins is a free agent after the 2025 season, while Meyers is under team control through 2027. Moving on from two and a half years of Meyers, while adding just half a season of Mullins, would be an odd choice for the Astros, who need outfield stability going forward.

While adding a player of Mullins' caliber would be a nice addition, it shouldn't come at the expense of Meyers, who's having a breakout season. The 29-year-old center fielder already has 2.0 WAR, his career high, despite playing just 72 games. 

Meyers in 2025 has 70 hits, 33 runs scored, 12 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 19 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 22 walks, and 46 strikeouts across 233 at-bats. Meyers is batting .300 and has a solid .765 OPS. 

His biggest weakness as a hitter is his ability to hit for power, which Mullins has demonstrated throughout his career, including 2025. Mullins has 12 home runs on the season and hit 30 home runs in 2021. Offensively, Mullins has more power than Meyers, but Meyers' .300 batting average is .071 points higher than Mullins.

While Mullins would be a nice addition to the Astros, it wouldn't be worth moving on from Meyers. The years of control, the defensive ability, and the batting average make this trade pitch from Plaza a strange one.

Houston shouldn't get rid of Meyers and sell high. They should commit to him in the center field and instead look to add a corner outfielder to round out the team.