The Houston Astros failed to make it to the ALCS for the first time in nearly a decade, which means it’s time to figure out what went wrong in the offseason.
One of the clearest holes on the roster is the depth of bats in the outfield. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports has the Astros as one of the most likely landing spots for Los Angeles Angels slugger Taylor Ward because of it.
While the Angels are in a confusing mix between wanting to compete and needing to take a step back and rebuild, moving an outfielder to improve elsewhere would make sense in either scenario.
Los Angeles has already added Jorge Soler to their roster this offseason, which means that another slugger could be on their way out. Having Ward and Soler patrolling the outfield together wouldn’t be too advisable given that they are both on the slower side.
Ward also makes the most sense as someone to move given they his trade value to a contender will be much higher than the amount of winning he can influence for the Angels.
The 30-year-old posted a .246/.323/.426 slashing line with 25 home runs and 75 RBI. He’s been a consistently solid bat in the lineup for the past few years. While he hasn’t made an All-Star team and doesn’t project to be the leader of a World Series squad, he would be a fantastic contributor on a contender.
He spent the beginning of his MLB career as someone that constantly bounced between the minors and the big league roster.
Since coming into his own, at least, he’s posted an average slashing line of .259/.338/.440 with 18 home runs and 55 RBI a season.
On a day-to-day basis he would be a massive upgrade over any of the non-All-Star players currently patrolling the outfield.
Work will need to be done with the Houston roster this offseason whether it is with Ward or not.
Mauricio Dubon, Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers all played key roles this season and struggled mightily. There were not very many names the Astros could call on off the bench and feel great about.
Ward wouldn’t be someone that they rely on to play a ton of innings in center field, but he has plenty of experience in the corners and should be considered a plus defender.
Adding some versatility, he also has experience at both corner infield spots. Houston has long had a hole at first base that Ward could figure into.
