An Astros-Diamondbacks trade to eliminate Jose Abreu from the conversation

Often times, the biggest bat in a team's lineup is their first baseman. But that isn't the case for the Houston Astros. Actually, it's far from the case. The first base slot in Houston may actually be the team's biggest offensive liability, headlined by the brutal failure of Jose Abreu.

Abreu has just been awful for the Astros. So awful that Houston would be better off designating him for assignment and letting him go completely, leaving him and the idea of him in the rearview. Abreu is slashing .117/.168/.160 on the season through 94 at bats. In those 94 at bats, he has one home run, one double and a negative OPS+.

Houston could look to fill this hole with one of the best first baseman on the market: Arizona's Christian Walker.

A Diamondbacks-Astros trade that replacing Jose Abreu with the slugging Christian Walker

Unlike Abreu, Walker is crushing the ball. He's slashing .259/.352/.464 on the year with 12 bombs and 10 doubles. If the season ended today, 2024 would mark the best qualified OPS+ season of Walker's career.

Walker isn't just a hitter either. He's coming off back-to-back Gold Gloves at first base as well.

On an expiring deal, he should be a good candidate to be moved at the deadline. But his value could run up a bit higher than most teams would like. Luckily for Houston, they're never shy to offer their prospects for MLB guys at the deadline.

In this hypothetical, the Astros are sending two of their top 15 prospects over to Arizona to acquire the first baseman.

A.J Blubaugh has floated between starting and the bullpen in his professional career (43 appearances, 24 starts). Blubaugh features a mid 90's fastball and a sweeping slider in the low 80's. His velocity has risen a bit since being drafted, with potential to rise even more in the coming years.

Kouba doesn't have the same dominant fastball as Blubaugh. In fact, Kouba seems like a pitcher from a different era. His fastball sits in the low 90's, but he pairs it with excellent off-speed offerings and tremendous command. He has quite a high floor, but his ceiling is a bit limited due to the limited velocity offered.

The Astros need to take a chance before their season wastes away right in front of their eyes. Walker is the ideal replacement for them at first base. Not only is it a huge upgrade, but it would wipe the taste out of their mouth of the failure of a Jose Abreu experiment.