Astros would be forced to trade this top prospect for Juan Soto

The Houston Astros, like most teams, could use the outfield upgrade that is Juan Soto. But it would come at a high cost.

While Kyle Tucker mans right field now for Houston, Soto offers the kind of start power which would ultimately overtake trump him. Not to mention, positional flexibility is a thing in modern baseball.

Soto’s been described by some as the next Ted Williams. At 23 years old, he has multiple All-Star Games under his belt and a World Series crown. He’s also due a $500 million contract extension at some point in the near future.

But let’s say money isn’t an issue for Jim Crane and Co. What would it cost to acquire a player of Soto’s caliber? The answer is prospects, prospects and more prospects — as well as a couple young MLB-ready assets to boot. That’s why many potential Soto suitors are already flinching at the idea of trading for him at the deadline.

Juan Soto rumors: Astros top prospect must go

In any trade for Soto, Hunter Brown would be the first to go.

Not only is Brown the No. 1-ranked prospect in the Astros system, he’s also 23 years old, MLB-ready and a top-100 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

Brown can reach as high as 99 MPH with his fastball and has a curveball and slider to match that will strike out even the best hitters at the minor-league level. The question remains about whether he can adapt to the MLB level, just as they do with any pitching prospect.

MLB Pipeline stats that while Brown has electric stuff, he still has some issues to work through in the minors:

"“While there’s no question about Brown’s pure stuff, he’s still working on his feel for pitching. He doesn’t fully trust his changeup or repeat his delivery consistently, though his control did improve during his two months in Triple-A. The Astros love his work ethic, citing the gains he made while pitching off a homemade mound in his backyard during the 2020 layoff.”"

As much as Houston fans would enjoy a Soto trade, a move for Josh Bell is far more likely come Aug. 2.