The simple answer to this question is of course, yes. Any team that is contending at the level of the Houston Astros should be pursuing one of the leagues best hitters. The Astros sport a lineup that already features two of the leagues best left handed hitters, adding a third would only boost that lineup even more. The opportunity to grab a generational talent as young as Soto does not come around often. It is even more rare to have a shot at getting that talent on your club for three postseason runs.
If the Astros were to land him, they would not be landing him for the long term. This club has proven already that they do not believe in big long deals, a philosophy that so far is proving to be the right way to go about handling your business. No player is worth the 500+ million that Soto and his agent Scott Boras are clearly going to be looking for. But for two plus years at somewhere just over sixty million or so, that screams Astros all over it.
The issue with landing Soto is going to be the prospect price tag to get him. This where the Astros might not even be able to play in this pursuit. But that is not a certain of course, because only the Nationals can tell you how they feel about the prospects the Astros can offer up. You would expect every big name prospect we know to go in a deal like this. That means see ya later to Hunter Brown, Korey Lee, Pedro Leon and many others. And that's where the next question comes up. Can you handle giving up years of control on those young guys for three postseason runs with Soto?
For me the simple answer to the previous question is, yes, you sure can. The Astros are still in the thick of a championship window with many players locked into their spots for years to come. You would hate to lose Hunter Brown of course, but the guy cannot crack the big league club as it is because there is simply no place for him. If the Nationals are interested in what you have to offer, this is the kind of signature move that would make or break James Click's run as the Astros general manager. From the outside looking in, this is a move that has to be done if the Nationals like what you have to offer.
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