The Houston Astros should consider acquiring former champion infielder Flier

The Houston Astros have entered the MLB offseason with some key situations to figure out.

First and foremost, the team will have to figure out whether or not they can re-sign star third baseman Alex Bregman. He is a highly sought after commodity on the free agency market. The Astros would like to bring him back, but that is far from a done deal at this point.

Justin Verlander is also a free agent. Houston is much more likely to let him walk than Bregman, but they could opt to bring him back on a one-year deal.

After these situations are resolved, the Astros will need to focus on improving their roster.

One position that could use some attention is first base.

Houston has been linked to elite names like Pete Alonso and Christian Walker. However, they may not be able to afford Alonso and don’t want to overpay to sign Walker.

That said, who could the Astros target for a cheaper contract?

Former World Series Champion and New York Yankees free agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo could make sense as a player for Houston to take on a flier.

Granted, the 35-year-old first baseman isn’t the superstar he was a few years ago. His bat hasn’t been nearly as productive.

Despite those facts, he would be a relatively cheap signing and could be an upgrade from what they had going into the 2024 season.

During the 2024 campaign with the Yankees, Rizzo ultimately played in 92 games. He hit eight home runs for 35 RBI while hitting .228/.301/.335. Clearly, these numbers don’t look great.

In 2023, he slashed .244/.328/.378 for 12 home runs and 41 RBI in 99 games. He played in 130 games in 2022, hitting 32 home runs and 75 RBI with a slash line of .224/.338/.480.

His recent track record isn’t great. But if the Astros want to land a first baseman on a cheap contract with potential upside, Rizzo could be a very good target.

Rizzo is also known as a great clubhouse guy. He brings a light-hearted approach to the game and has always been a first-class leader. Those qualities would provide value for Houston.

There’s a very good chance that the Astros have no interest in Rizzo, but there’s also a chance that depending on how the rest of the season goes, he could be an affordable piece to try to improve the starting lineup.