Chicago Cubs: Possible Kyle Schwarber trade destinations
By Tim Boyle
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are pretty much set for 2018. One area they could improve upon is the DH spot. Veteran Carlos Beltran won’t return next year which means the search for a new option will begin. Is Schwarber the man for the job?
The Astros could use another left-handed bat in their lineup. Brian McCann and Josh Reddick are the only everyday players who swing exclusively from the left side. Add Schwarber in as a possibility and the lineup is more balanced.
Schwarber fits in well with the home run happy Houston team. He’s also built like McCann and Evan Gattis. In fact, I would even call him a younger version of Gattis with a left-handed swing.
Like Gattis, Schwarber moved from behind the plate to the outfield. Gattis has since returned to his roots, but has primarily been a DH with occasional first base starts for the Astros. It may seem as if Houston would have no need for Schwarber, but consider this: he swings from the opposite side of the plate and has a lot more home run power. If they were to hypothetically trade Gattis, Schwarber may actually be an improvement.
The biggest hurdle I foresee in this possibility is that the Astros have many DH options available in free agency. Mark Reynolds and Adam Lind won’t cost them a single prospect and both would probably take one-year deals. Meanwhile, Schwarber will cost at least one notable prospect.