Astros: 3 trade deadline targets from surprise sellers

Kansas City Royals infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield

The Royals are one of the worst teams in baseball so it’s not surprising that they will be sellers but before this week, it would have been very surprising if they traded Whit Merrifield.

Entering the week, he had played in 553 straight games but he suffered a toe injury and it was revealed that he’s not vaccinated, making it impossible for him to travel to Toronto for Kansas City’s series in Canada this weekend.

Merrifield said that he would only get vaccinated if he was on a contender that might face Toronto in the postseason, which the Astros would fall into that category. Royals President Dayton Moore said that he was “disgusted” by his comments too, so they could look to trade him.

Merrifield would likely play the outfield the most for the Astros but he can play a lot of different positions. He has played second base, center field, and right field this year but he has also played a handful of games at first base, third base, and left field as well.

The two-time All-Star hasn’t been exactly great in 2022 (80 OPS+, -0.2 WAR) but he has been a two-time All-Star and a good defender in recent years (14 Defensive Runs Saved at 2B last year) and he is a speed threat (40 stolen bases, which led the AL last year).

Whit Merrifield is slated to make about $6.75 million next year (based on 2022 incentives) so he would not be a rental either. There is a mutual option for $18 million in 2024 that would almost certainly be declined by any team but the Houston Astros could use him in a few different ways for a relatively cheap cost.