HOUSTON -- The big news prior to Thursday’s Trade Deadline was the Astros reuniting with Carlos Correa after he agreed to waive his no-trade clause in a trade from the Twins, but Houston also fulfilled its need for a left-handed bat by acquiring outfielder Jesús Sánchez from the Marlins in exchange for right-hander Ryan Gusto, infielder Chase Jaworsky (Houston's No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) and outfielder Esmil Valencia.
The 27-year-old Sánchez was slashing .256/.320/.420 with 10 homers, 36 RBIs and nine steals in 86 games with the Marlins. He has shown the ability to flash power and speed, with 69 homers and 29 steals during his six-year career. He sits in the 93rd percentile in bat speed this year, and last season averaged a 92.5 mph exit velocity, good for the 93rd percentile.
TRADE DETAILS:
Astros get: Jesús Sánchez
Marlins get: RHP Ryan Gusto, INF Chase Jaworsky (Houston's No. 13 prospect), OF Esmil Valencia
On Wednesday, the Astros acquired Ramón Urías, who played 68 games at third base this year for the Orioles and was slashing .248/.300/.388 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 77 games. He won the American League Gold Glove at third base in 2022 and will provide depth at third base and second base, where Jose Altuve and Mauricio Dubón will split time. Dubón had been starting at third base since Isaac Paredes went down with a right hamstring injury July 19.
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The Astros tried to pull off a trade for Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease, but general manager Dana Brown said the price was too high. Plus, Houston is expecting some of its injured starting pitchers to come off the IL soon. Spencer Arrighetti throws his final rehab start Thursday night at Triple-A Sugar Land, and Luis Garcia will throw in Sugar Land on Friday. Cristian Javier threw his second rehab at Sugar Land on Wednesday.
“We know that we have a bunch of starters coming back and that was an area we know we were getting some help,” Brown said. “We knew we had to potentially get another bat in the infield and we got two.”
Sánchez will split time in left field with Altuve and in right field with rookie Cam Smith, who will slide into a platoon situation. Smith, who was drafted a year ago out of Florida State, has had a solid season but the Astros are concerned about his workload after posting a .563 OPS in July (.849 in June).
“Altuve will get at-bats at second, in left and he’ll get some DH at-bats, which we feel is important to give him some rest,” Brown said. “While [Yordan] Alvarez is out, he’ll get probably more DH at-bats and he’ll play left field for the most part when there’s a left-handed starter [for the opposing team]. Those will be some days where we can rest Sánchez. Altuve will still be an everyday player and get a ton of at-bats. Ultimately, we felt like we were adding depth with these bats.”
All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña is also expected to be activated off the injured list and join the team Friday, which means a roster shakeup is coming. The Astros optioned infielder Shay Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday, clearing one spot.