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Astros: 3 trade deadline moves Houston is lucky they didn’t make

By Noah Yingling

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 21: Jose Urquidy #65 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park on August 21, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 21: Jose Urquidy #65 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park on August 21, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) /
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Ji-Man Choi, Astros
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 15: Ji-Man Choi #26 of the Tampa Bay Rays at bat during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 15, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

2) Trading for Ji-Man Choi

In the same Josh Bell report that Ken Rosenthal published just a few days before the trade deadline, Rosenthal said that the Astros were considering a secondary option in Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi. Since then, the Rays have further cemented their playoff odds as they lay claim to the first AL Wild Card spot. Despite this, Choi has been awful since the deadline.

Before the trade deadline, Choi was hitting .257/.355/.415 with eight home runs and 46 RBI (on pace for 99 RBI) in 75 games. Since then, Choi has played in 13 games (entering Wednesday) and he has hit a meager .105/.244/.132 with no home runs or RBI.

Instead of Bell and Choi, the Astros decided to go with Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini. Astros fans have not been happy with Mancini’s lack of playing time, but he has been much better than both Bell and Choi in his playing time. As an Astro, Mancini is hitting .226/.250/.491 with four home runs, 11 RBI, and two doubles. His OPS+ with the club is 106. The power has definitely been shown, but ideally, the Astros would like a bit higher average and on-base percentage. Regardless, he has been better than Bell and Choi.

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