Following that, Astros GM Dana Brown admitted earlier this week that the club isn’t ruling out trading either Kyle Tucker Joel Sherman of the New York Post described the Yankees as one of the teams “most seriously” pursuing the outfielder as free agency looms next winter. However, Sherman adds that the Cubs are also viewed as a “strong player” in Tucker’s market, while the Giants are also involved. According to Sherman, the Phillies have “at least inquired” about Tucker before, but while they have tried to put together a package for the outfielder, it is unclear whether or not they will remain involved in his market.

Since then, enthusiasm for the possibility of a Tucker trade has grown Juan Soto signed his record-breaking contract with the Mets, and as the Yankees turn to their contingency plans in case they fail to reunite with Soto, it’s no surprise that they would be involved in talks about another star right fielder. Both New York and Chicago’s interest in Tucker’s services has already been reported, but Sherman’s report in particular suggests that the Astros are focusing on the big-league-ready corner infield in the trade talks surrounding Tucker and the introduction of Prioritize rotation assistance. While the Yankees themselves lack talent in the corner infield, the club has reached an agreement with the left-handed hitters Max Fried yesterday to create a surplus in their rotation, and Sherman adds that the Astros are reportedly “very interested” in becoming the reigning AL rookie of the year Luis Gil.

In contrast, the Cubs have the type of young talent that the Astros appear to be prioritizing. Top infield prospect Matt Shaw is primarily a second baseman by trade, but spent most of the 2024 season at third base. Sherman notes that Shaw will be a 2024 first-round pick Cam Smith and incumbent third baseman Isaac Paredes are “attractive” to the Astros as they risk losing their long-time third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency. Although not mentioned in Sherman’s report, it’s also worth noting that Chicago has a number of young pitchers they could theoretically make available, including Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, Ben BrownAnd Hayden Wesneski.

As for the other teams mentioned in Sherman’s report, both clubs also qualify for Houston’s reported request, at least in theory. The Giants have a former top prospect Marco Luciano and powerful energy supplier Tyler Fitzgerald as pieces that could be attractive to the Astros as third base options while right-handed Hayden birdsong And Mason Black are one of the club’s more interesting young pitchers who could be made available. It’s unclear if any of these names have been discussed or to what extent Houston would be interested in them, but San Francisco has a deep group of young options in both areas. The infielders appear to be particularly available after the club lands Willy Adames in free agency, and the same could be said of the rotation pieces if they are successful in their supposed pursuit Corbin Burnes.

It is known that the Phillies are in third place Alec Boehm commercially available, but may not be a perfect fit for the Astros’ needs. The infielder only has two years left of team control, and two years as a solid but unspectacular third baseman is unlikely to result in him getting a star player like Tucker for a year. It’s possible the Phillies could add starting pitching to a package that includes Bohm, but it would be a shock if the club were willing to part ways with the top candidate Andrew Painter and other options like Mick Abel And Seth Johnson are probably far less inspiring for the Astros.