Houston Astros named ‘fit’ to allow young first baseman to solve their problems

The Houston Astros have gotten minimal production from the first base position this season. Giving 2020 AL MVP Jose Abreu a three-year, $58.5 million contract certainly didn’t go as planned, and he was released due to his below-average play.

Jon Singleton has taken over first base duties in recent games, but his .222/.321/.329 slash line with five home runs in 167 at-bats leaves room for a potential upgrade before the July trade deadline.

The Astros are the team to watch heading into the trade deadline. If they don’t understand things, maybe they’ll take a different path. However, general manager Dana Brown has made it clear he has no plans to sell.

6-4 in their last 10 games and winner of three straight, Houston is seven games behind in the American League West. They’re five games out of a Wild Card spot, which isn’t ideal at this point in the season, but they still have time to earn a playoff spot.

There are several areas that need improvement at the deadline, especially with all of their injuries.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed them as “suitable” for Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn. Vaughn would be an instant upgrade to an Astros offense that has struggled.

Unlike DeJong, Vaughn isn’t headed to free agency this offseason, so the White Sox might not be inclined to trade the 26-year-old. But the first baseman could be one of the hottest trade chips more intriguing from Chicago, as Vaughn makes $3.25 million this season and will be arbitration eligible for two more years after 2024.

“Vaughn has bounced back from a slow start, hitting .289/.336/.528 (.864 OPS) with nine homers and 27 RBIs in his last 36 games since May 8, after posting a .471 OPS with no homers and seven RBIs in his first 34 games.

He is currently hitting .239/.290/.386 with nine home runs. However, as Feinsand points out, there are reasons to be optimistic. The right-handed slugger is also coming off a season in which he hit 21 home runs and posted a 102 OPS+, the second straight season with an OPS+ above 100.

Vaughn was once considered one of the top prospects in baseball. He was selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.

And while he didn’t live up to all the hype, he showed promise as a power hitter.

If the asking price isn’t too high, the 26-year-old could be an interesting addition.