TRADE SZN

How Astros trade could bolster lineup by doing the unthinkable

The Houston Astros reportedly have their trade deadline wishlist put together, and two players at the top of the list are Guardians' starting pitcher Shane Bieber and Marlins' outfielder/DH Jorge Soler.

While Soler makes sense for several reasons, a deep dive into Bieber's stats should give the Astros cause for pause. He's falling off significantly according to advanced stats, despite having a 3.57 ERA.

Another thing to question is whether manager Dusty Baker would play Soler enough to make the trade make sense. Yainer Diaz is clearly the better option than Martin Maldonado, but still rarely gets playing time.

We've seen this before from Baker. He wouldn't play Chas McCormick regularly which caused GM at the time, James Click, to trade Myles Straw to clear the way for McCormick. And let's not forget Baker rarely playing catcher Christian Vazquez last year after he was traded to Houston from the Red Sox.

With all this in mind, is there a scenario where Astros GM Dana Brown feels he has to trade Maldonado to get more opportunities for Diaz? Rumor has it that Justin Verlander would like to see Maldonado on the Mets.

You don't want to miss the video above as we lay out all the possible scenarios.

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The Houston Texans have a huge game against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, and they must come away with a victory if they want to avoid falling to 0-3 on the season.

And don't look now, but beating the Jags just got a little more difficult with Aaron Wilson reporting that Derek Stingley Jr is expected to miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. Plus, nickel corner Tavierre Thomas will also be out after having surgery on his hand.

The Texans are dealing with a massive amount of injuries just two weeks into the season. But one could argue some of these could have been avoided.

Both Stingley and guard Kenyon Green (IR) had injury concerns coming out of college and GM Nick Caseiro decided to draft them in the top half of the first round, despite those red flags.

Green will miss the rest of the season needing shoulder surgery, and if Stingley is placed on IR and misses 4 games, he will have only played in 11 of a possible 23 games to start his career. Don't forget, Stingley missed time due to a hamstring issue in 2022 as well.

And let's not forget, Caserio passed on All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner, when he decided to draft Stingley No. 3 overall in 2022. The Jets selected Gardner with the very next pick.

Be sure to watch the video above as we discuss the implications of these injuries for the Texans and Caserio's future in Houston.

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