Trade Deadline Rumors Link Astros to Yuli Gurriel Replacement

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The Houston Astros looked like they were on their way to being an offensive powerhouse in the 2022 MLB season, only to average 4.04 runs per game so far — ninth-worst in the league. Part of the issue has been first baseman Yuli Gurriel, who's batting .223 with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 45 games.

Fortunately, help could be on the way as July's MLB trade deadline approaches. ESPN's Jeff Passan is linking the Astros to a potential Gurriel replacement, citing Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell as a top candidate.

Houston Astros Trade Rumors

After Gurriel led the American League with a .319 batting average last season, people may have called the Astros crazy for replacing him with Bell. Fast forward to the 2022 season and that's not that bad of an idea.

Bell is in the middle of one of his best campaigns to date. The Irving, TX native is second among all Nationals players with five home runs and while leading with 29 RBIs while his .309/.386/.436 slash line is the best of his career. He also has four hits, a double and a homer in seven at-bats to begin the month of June.

Bell has yet to make his MLB postseason debut, but that shouldn't deter the Astros from targeting him. Along with some impressive offensive numbers, he's also a switch hitter and that's a tool that can come in handy as the season gets tougher.

The Astros need their bats to perform more consistently if they hope to find success this fall and adding Bell to an already talented lineup should help.

Astros World Series Odds

A potential Bell-Astros trade would make Houston much more of a World Series threat than before. That's saying something considering how FanDuel Sportsbook is already giving them +750 odds (No. 4) to go on a championship run.

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.