WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 16: Hunter Brown #68 of the Houston Astros poses for photo during Photo Day at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches on March 16, 2022 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Houston Astros already have a great lineup but Juan Soto would put them over the top. But do they have the prospects to pull off a deal?
The Houston Astros already have a lot of good of offensive players when they are healthy. Even with losing Carlos Correa this past offseason, the Astros still have six everyday players with an OPS+ of 110 or better.
Adding Juan Soto to that mix would be a dream come true for Astros fans and, likely, for Juan Soto. Currently, Soto doesn’t have much protection in the lineup, which is part of the reason why he led the majors in 2021 with intentional walks (23) and regular walks (145).
But for the Astros to acquire him, the Nationals will have to acquire a slew of prospects in return, including some top-flight prospects.
For a deal to even remotely happen, here are three prospects that the Houston Astros would have to trade the Nationals to get Juan Soto.
Juan Soto rumors: The Astros would have to trade RHP Hunter Brown
Right-handed pitcher Hunter Brown is the top prospect for the Houston Astros and he is also their only prospect in MLB.com’s Top 100 list (#83 overall).
With the Nationals, he’d immediately slot into their starting rotation. In 16 games (11 starts) at the Triple-A level this year, Brown, 23, has a 2.38 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and a .186 opponent batting average.
He has three “plus to plus plus” pitches, as his fastball and curveball are rated a 65 on a 20-80 scouting scale and an above average slider (55). The fastball hits 99 MPH and the curve is in the low 80s.