The Houston Astros missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, which means some changes are coming. Meanwhile, both the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are looking for a boost after disappointing seasons. The Astros are shopping Jake Myers in a trade, and both NL East contenders are vying for his services. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo have more on the potential deal.
“The Astros are open to moving him for a controllable major-league starter, according to people briefed on their discussions. And the interest in Meyers entering his age-30 campaign is considerable, other clubs say,” Rosenthal and Woo reported. “The Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Rays are among the teams exploring upgrades in center field, along with the Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Kansas City Royals.”
The Phillies traded for Harrison Bader at the MLB trade deadline to be their defensive centerfielder. He is a free agent and will be much more expensive than Myers. If they want to keep both Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto, they will have to save money somewhere. Even after a lot of trades at the deadline, they have pieces to trade for Myers.
Bader was the Mets' centerfielder in 2024, but they replaced him with Jose Siri and more Tyrone Taylor at-bats in 2025. That did not work out, so picking up Myers would be a smart move for their defense. Dealing Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien was a defensively-minded move, so don't count the Mets out for this one.
The asking price the Astros have, per the report, is a controllable MLB starter. The Mets don't have one of those that would be of comparable value to Myers. If Houston is willing to take on Kodai Senga's salary, there may be a deal to work out. Otherwise, pitching prospect Jonah Tong of Will Watson will be the better fit. The Phillies have made a point to not trade Andrew Painter, so Moises Chace may be the piece going back.
