Michael Conforto: Astros Showing Interest in michael conforto Amid Trade Questions

The Astros have shown recent interest in michael conforto as they seek a lefty-hitting outfielder after a long offseason search. Brian McTaggart wrote that Houston has explored adding a left-handed bat through a trade involving Isaac Paredes, and McTaggart added the chances of trading Paredes have "diminished" recently.

Michael Conforto's recent history

Conforto, who will be 33 on March 1, is coming off a career-worst season with the Dodgers in which he slashed. 199/. 305/. 333 in 486 trips to the plate. That mark represents the first decidedly below-average offensive performance in the big league career of the 2014 first-round pick and 2017 All-Star. His career has trended downward since a shoulder injury caused him to miss the 2022 season.

Production since surgery

Since returning from surgery Conforto has played three seasons with the Giants and Dodgers, combining to hit. 225/. 316/. 390 in 1, 444 plate appearances. He still draws plenty of walks — 10. 5% over that span — but has been hitting more grounders and weak fly-balls, and his line-drive rate has fallen from 22. 4% from 2015-21 to 17. 8% since. He has generally hit right-handed pitchers well and been closer to average in left-on-left matchups, but he has been better against lefties in each of the past two seasons, albeit in a small sample of 184 left-on-left plate appearances.

Contract and market outlook

Given Conforto's overall performance since the shoulder surgery and last season's career-worst showing, his price tag is not expected to be prohibitive. At best he would command a low-cost one-year deal, but with spring training underway and interest not appearing robust through the winter, Conforto could also sign a minor league deal and report to big league camp with the Astros.

Astros outfield and roster context

Yordan Alvarez is the only established left-handed hitter currently in Houston's lineup. Young outfielders Zach Cole and Joey Loperfido are in the mix for Opening Day roster spots but have minimal major league experience. Broadly, the outfield in Houston is unsettled regardless of handedness: Jake Meyers is locked into center field, but the rest of the picture is up for grabs. The team wants Alvarez to spend more time at DH than in left field this year.

Cam Smith had a huge spring last year and a big start to his rookie season before fading considerably as the year went on. Cole struck out at a 35% clip in the minors. Loperfido posted roughly league-average offense with the Blue Jays' Triple-A club before being traded back to Houston last week. Former first-rounder Brice Matthews is a middle infielder by trade but has begun a transition to the outfield due to Houston's crowded infield mix.

Paredes trade efforts and infield logjam

Houston has explored trades of Isaac Paredes throughout the winter. Paredes' status as the starting third baseman was upended when the Astros reacquired Carlos Correa at last year's trade deadline. Paredes can also play first base, but that position is manned by Christian Walker in Houston. Paredes is owed $40MM over the next two seasons and unsurprisingly has not garnered much trade interest at that rate. An ideal scenario might have seen the Astros trade Paredes for a veteran corner outfielder, but despite considerable effort they have come up empty and are turning to lower-cost free agent alternatives in their quest to add a left-handed bat.

Observers note the team could be facing an infield logjam that compromises outfield depth. Houston has been shopping players on its major league roster all offseason. Isaac Paredes is the most valuable name often mentioned, but Christian Walker and Jake Meyers have also been discussed. There have been reports of high interest in both Paredes and Meyers and very faint interest in Walker.

Trade questions and consequences

Commentary in the wake of the Conforto interest asks whether GM Dana Brown overplayed his hand, held too high an asking price, or simply did not find trading partners who valued Houston's players as much as the club did. "We don't actually know the answers to these, which is why we will speculate, " the analysis noted. The piece argues that if Brown held onto players and the team fails to make the postseason again, Brown likely would not remain, and that a similar outcome could cost manager Joe Espada his job — even though the roster has been clearly flawed and decimated by injury over the past two seasons.

The commentary also criticized the idea of targeting Conforto, describing him as a shell of his former self: a player whose last strong full season was 2019, who had shoulder surgery after the 2021 season, and who has struggled in stacked lineups during the past three seasons. The Astros could reportedly have pursued Mike Tauchman, described as a superior option at this stage, and Tauchman signed a minor league deal with the Mets.

Of the remaining free-agent outfielders, Starling Marte was called "probably the best hitter of all of them"; he is right-handed but reportedly hits equally well against righties and lefties and for more power against righties. He is now 37 and has a balky right knee; the Mets made him a part-time player last year to manage him through the season. The commentary suggested the Astros already have too many injuries for such a risk. The free-agent crop was called "slim pickins" and the piece argued a trade is probably the only realistic way for Houston to add an impact outfield bat unless Zach Cole, Cam Smith or Zach Dezenzo becomes that player.

Coming into camp with an infield logjam was labeled a miscalculation by the Astros, and the analysis concluded there may not be a way out at this point.

Fan reaction and closing

Fan responses included comments such as "They are sinking to new lows please don’t get conforto. " Another fragmentary reaction read "Not since Andruw Jones has a healthy, " — unclear in the provided context.

Overall, the Astros' interest in michael conforto sits against a backdrop of a stalled Paredes trade market, roster uncertainty in the outfield, injury history for Conforto, and sharply divided views on whether his addition would address Houston's needs.