Astros Have 'Checked In' With Diamondbacks About Eugenio Suarez

The Houston Astros appear to have more needs than they expected before the trade deadline.

Just a few weeks ago, adding a starting pitcher and a left-handed hitter seemed to be the only things the front office would pursue, bolstering their injury-riddled rotation and adding more matchup-dependent versatility off the bench.

However, Isaac Paredes' injury has completely changed that.

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With the Astros now saying his hamstring issue is more severe than they initially thought, there is a real chance they need to go after a third baseman ahead of the deadline.

And according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required), Houston has now thrown themselves into the Eugenio Suarez sweepstakes.

"Suarez is the most straightforward way to address Paredes' potential season-long absence and, according to multiple league sources, the Astros have at least checked in with the Arizona Diamondbacks to make their interest known," the insider reported.

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There are real concerns about the slugger's fit with the Astros.

Suarez's defense is well below-average and his high strikeout rate would stick out like a sore thumb in a lineup that prides itself on making contact with the ball and not giving easy outs.

But the positives could also outweigh those negatives.

Houston needs slugging, and Suarez would provide that.

His 36 home runs are tied for fourth in Major League Baseball, and with the Crawford Boxes in left field at Daikin Park, he could be a difference maker for the Astros down the stretch as they try to weather the storm of injuries to hold onto their AL West lead.

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It won't be easy to land Suarez based on how many teams are in pursuit of the slugger combined with the asking price reportedly being high from the Arizona Diamondbacks despite the fact that he's a rental.

But with Paredes now potentially being on the shelf for a long period of time, Houston is at least seeing what it would take to bring Suarez to town.

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