MLB insider says Astros dark horse for big bat, clock ticking for Hunter Brown

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MLB insider says Astros dark horse for big bat, clock ticking for Hunter Brown
More moves could be on the horizon for Houston. Composite Getty Image.

Most Astros fans have come to terms with how the team is taking shape for the 2025 season. We've heard reports that the club is looking to avoid the competitive balance tax this year, which means Christian Walker is the only big piece joining Houston through free agency.

But according to a recent report from MLB insider Hector Gomez, the 'Stros may have another big move in the works.

Certainly, signing Anthony Santander would force the Astros to pay the competitive balance tax once again. Something we didn't believe they would entertain. But we all thought the same thing last year until the club shocked the world by signing Josh Hader to a 5-year, $95 million contract.

The fit makes a lot of sense, considering how bad the outfield projects to be this season. And the reported contract offer, is basically the same deal Houston signed Walker to, but with one additional year at about $20 million. So who knows, maybe the Astros have one big move left in them.

Scott Boras strikes again?

The Athletic's Chandler Rome shared some insight on how contract negotiations could play out with Hunter Brown, who's represented by Boras.

Rome made the case that Houston may have already missed the window to strike a deal with Brown, similar to the contract Cristian Javier signed with the club before the 2023 season.

Rome made an interesting point when he said players don't typically hire an agent like Boras just to negotiate a deal that buys up arbitration years.

Which is pretty wild to think about considering Brown only has one good season under his belt. Javier was a more proven player when he inked his extension, and that deal hasn't aged well, with Javier regressing in 2024 before having season-ending Tommy John surgery.

If Rome is correct and Brown is looking to hit the open market, it's not the end of the world. He's under team control for the next four years. However, one thing is for certain, the Astros will be counting on Brown and Javier to anchor this rotation moving forward after Framber Valdez likely leaves after the 2025 season.

If Dana Brown can't strike a deal with Brown, perhaps Yainer Diaz could be an option. He's on the same timeline as Brown when it comes to reaching free agency. Hopefully, he doesn't hire Boras anytime soon.

Finally, why are we still hearing rumblings about Alex Bregman being connected to the Astros? NorthJersey.com's Pete Caldera is predicting Bregman will sign a $175 million deal with the 'Stros.

And what's with this recent post from former Astros front office member Reggie Jackson?

It's technically possible the Astros could bring back Bregman and trade Isaac Paredes, but we're not counting on it.

Plus, we've heard reports about the Astros looking to dump Ryan Pressly's salary. But would the club be better off waiting until the trade deadline to do so?

Don't miss the video above as we break it all down!


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Should the Rockets be active on the trade market? Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

It’s been a slog on the treadmill of mediocrity for the Astros thus far in 2025. Their 18-18 record heading into a weekend series at Daikin Park vs. the Reds is appropriate. Plenty of good teams will have similar stretches this season. The Astros have to prove that this year’s edition is a good team. Plenty of time for that remains. Reminder that the breakout 2017 Astros had a 74-game stretch over which they went 37-37. 162 games allow for a lot of ebb and flow. Of course, the 2025 Astros’ roster is not close in quality to that of the 2017 squad. The point isn’t that this team could be a 101-game winner but that the 88 victories good enough for a playoff spot last year are still quite plausible this year.

The Rockets achieved mediocrity last season after three seasons as a laughingstock. This season they made the leap to good. While curling up and succumbing to Golden State in the decisive game seven of their first-round playoff series was a disappointment, the Rockets are in excellent position moving forward. Where they go from here should be quite interesting,

OF COURSE the Rockets are going to explore trading Jalen Green. He is obviously their most physically gifted player, but his consistent inconsistency is exasperating. Green’s series against the Warriors was basically an embarrassment with the exception of his 38-point game two outburst. The other six games, a meager nine-point-two points per game. That Green is still just 23 years old means it is not near obligatory they move on from him as Green starts a three-year 105 million dollar contract extension. However, the state of his game and comparison to a few specific players cast enough doubt about Green’s ceiling that declaring him “untouchable” would be ridiculous. During the Golden State series, an NBA play-by-play guy who I think is very good overall once referred to Green as the “Rockets’ superstar.” Anyone, including Green himself, who calls him a superstar either misspoke, was caught up in a moment, or is clueless.

Jalen Green just finished his fourth NBA season. Fairness requires noting that his first two seasons were compromised by being on atrocious Rockets’ squads. That said, Green was on 41-41 and 52-30 teams the past two seasons. In neither of him did he shoot a league average percentage either overall or from behind the three-point line. He did approach the three-point league average of 36 percentage made with his 35.4. That Green is an 80 percent career free throw shooter gives hope the three-point shooting can further develop. Better shot selection sure would help.

Green was the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, one year removed from high school. The player taken ahead of him was Cade Cunningham who also played just one year out of high school before going NBA. Cunningham joined a joke Detroit Pistons team. Cunningham is a much better player than Green at this point.

Other shooting guards who played one year after high school then jumped to the NBA, who were markedly ahead of Green after four NBA seasons include Anthony Edwards (first pick in his draft class), and Shae Gilgeous-Alexander (11th), and Devin Booker (13th). In comparison to each Green is a disappointment, though certainly not a bust.

What is head coach Ime Udoka’s bottom-line belief in Green fulfilling his potential? My guess is that cup is not overflowing. The Rockets’ half-court offense simply is not of championship caliber. Can it evolve there with Green, or is he better used as a piece in a trade offer with other players plus draft picks for a Booker or Kevin Duran? The Phoenix Suns are a near assets-less mess of a franchise in dire need of a reset. Durant will be 37 years old when next season starts, but is still a tremendous offensive player who would be a gargantuan half-court offense upgrade for the Rockets. The Rockets have so much draft capital that offering two or three first round picks plus Green, Cam Whitmore, and another player or two to make the salary cap math work would A: not empty out the Rockets’ flexibility going forward and B: have to get the Suns’ attention. If I’m Udoka and General Manager Rafael Stone, I’m making the call.

Courtesy of the Suns, the Rockets hold what is currently the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. The draft lottery is Monday night. The Rockets’ have a three-point-eight percent chance of winning it and the right to make Duke freshman superstar (and Final Four loser to UH) Cooper Flagg the number one pick. There is a 13.5 percent chance the Rockets move up to pick two, three, or four. Otherwise, it’s ninth, or lower if another team or teams vault up the lottery board.

For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!

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