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Houston Astros decide the fate of two World Series roster players

Astros James Click, Trey Mancini
Trey Mancini is now a free agent. Composite image by Brandon Strange.
Bench Dusty

The Houston Astros have decided to decline a mutual option for DH/1B Trey Mancini. Mancini is now a free agent, with the Astros opting for the $250,000 buyout.


Astros relief pitcher Will Smith is now a free agent as well, with the team declining his $13 million option. Smith's struggles continued after being traded to Houston at the trade deadline in a deal that sent starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi to the Atlanta Braves. Houston hoped to correct some of Smith's issues, as he was ineffective with Atlanta in 2022, but unfortunately a change of scenery wasn't enough to get Smith back on track. He finished the season with a 3.97 ERA, and didn't see any action in the postseason.

Trey Mancini was a different story, much was expected of him when he was traded to the Astros from the Orioles, where he was batting .268 on the season. After coming to Houston, Mancini batted under .200 and was unable to provide the offensive output the team had hoped for.

Mancini was able to contribute in the postseason with his glove, however, after Yuli Gurriel was injured in Game 5 of the World Series, and he had to step in and play first base. Trey made a game-saving play at first base in Game 5 and recorded a hit in Game 6 contributing to the Astros World Series win over the Phillies.

These are just the first two dominoes to fall as the Astros have more decisions to make in free agency with several key players.

Michael Brantley, Yuli Gurriel, Rafael Montero, just to name a few.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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