The Houston Astros have a problem most teams would love to have: too many good hitters, not enough places to put them. With the trade deadline approaching, the front office is weighing some unconventional ideas — including shifting Yordan Alvarez or Jose Altuve back to the outfield to make room for an addition.
This isn’t a rumor born from inside the organization. It’s more of a thought experiment that caught fire. During a recent episode of Foul Territory, Chandler Rome of The Athletic walked through a couple of hypotheticals that would get any Astros fan thinking.
Would they mess with Alvarez’s groove?
Alvarez is having a monster season. We’re talking Triple Crown territory. He’s been so locked in at the plate that the team has been hesitant to change anything. But here’s the thing — he did play more left field toward the end of the first half than Rome expected. The Astros have been stubborn about keeping him at DH, but the reps in the outfield kept coming.
Still, the front office has been resistant. Rome said as much on the show. “They have been so resistant to this, though.” And it’s not hard to see why. Asking a guy chasing a Triple Crown to focus more on reading fly balls and tracking line drives feels like asking a chef to answer the phone during dinner rush. You might get away with it, but why risk it?
Rome’s gut says no on moving Alvarez. But he also left the door open, noting that the trade market will ultimately decide what’s possible. If the right bat becomes available and requires a roster reshuffle, who knows?
What about Altuve in left field again?
Then Rome floated an idea that’s pure speculation — his words, not a report. Jose Altuve played some left field last season. It wasn’t a full-time thing, but the reps are there. So what if the Astros found an infielder like Luis Arraez? Would they consider sliding Altuve back to the outfield to fit Arraez at second?
Rome made it clear: this is him guessing out loud, not breaking news. “This is me just completely speculating,” he said. “This is not me reporting anything.” But the idea has legs. Arraez is a contact machine. He’d fit the Astros’ lineup beautifully. The question is whether the defensive cost — Altuve in the outfield — is worth the offensive gain.
It’s worth remembering Altuve hasn’t played outfield regularly in years. And at 5’6″, he’s not exactly built for tracking down deep fly balls in the gaps. But the man has a Gold Glove at second base and an MVP on his resume. Betting against him is usually a bad idea.
The bottom line
Neither move seems likely. Houston loves what Alvarez is doing at DH, and Altuve is still an above-average defender at second. But as the deadline gets closer and the shopping list gets longer, strange things start to sound reasonable. If a difference-making bat becomes available, the Astros might have to get creative with their alignment. For now, it’s just talk. But in baseball, talk has a way of turning into action.
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