MLB Insider Names Astros Biggest Hole Down the Stretch

The MLB trade deadline came and went earlier this week, allowing several teams to load up for a postseason run. The Houston Astros made a few deals, including deals that saw them acquire slugger Trey Mancini, as well as veteran catcher Christian Vázquez.

Having said that, one MLB insider believes that the Astros still have an area to improve on. While ESPN's Bradford Doolittle still views Houston as a World Series contender, he highlights that the club's biggest hole remains at center field.

Houston Astros News

Doolittle highlight's the Astros sitting 25th when it comes to on-base plus slugging percentage in center field as the major issue. He added that things wouldn't be too bad if the club still had Jose Siri, however, he was moved on Monday in the three-team trade to acquire Mancini.

The Astros are expected to roll with a rotation of Mauricio Dubon, Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers in the middle of the outfield. Each man has played at least 494 innings in center field, however, Dubon leads the pack with 618.2 frames. Nevertheless, that's a relatively inexperienced group.

Doolittle sees Jackie Bradley Jr. as someone that the Astros could bring in to help in center field. The veteran outfielder was released by the Boston Red Sox on Thursday but has 7,647 innings at the position. He also had three home runs, 29 RBIs and a .210 batting average in 91 games before being designated for assignment.

With the deadline in the rearview mirror, the Astros must focus internally and on the free-agent market to solve their CF woes. With only 55 games remaining in their regular season schedule, time is running out.

Astros World Series Odds

Despite Houston's need for CF help, the club is still viewed as a championship favorite. The Astros' +430 odds to win the 2022 World Series only trail the New York Yankees (+330) and Los Angeles Dodgers (+350) on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.