The Astros and Braves announced a one-for-one swap of center infielders. Practical player Mauricio Dupont Travel to Atlanta with defensive experts Nick Allen On the way to Houston.
Atlanta spent millions to upgrade their infield. DuPont, 31, spent nearly four seasons in Houston. The Astros acquired him from the Giants in a minor trade in early 2022. This was a good acquisition as he developed into a versatile and generally reliable player off the bench. Dupont won two utility Gold Glove awards while playing all three infield positions to the left of first base as well as quite a bit in center field and left field.
The right-handed-swinging Dupont was a league-average hitter a few seasons ago, slashing .278/.309/.411 with 10 homers in nearly 500 at-bats. His offense has declined in each of the last two years. He hit .241/.289/.355 with the long ball in 398 games and posted a .256/.293/.358 line over the past two seasons. He’s hard to strike out, but rarely walks, and his power is well below average.
Still, that lightweight bat is a significant upgrade relative to what Allen does offensively. Allen, 27, has not hit a home run in 416 at-bats this year. His on-base percentage was .211/.284/.251, making him easily the worst hitter with more than 400 plate appearances. Allen’s on-base percentage ranks among the bottom 20 hitters, while his slugging percentage is more than 0.040 points lower than the second-lowest hitter in MLB (.296). Victor Scott II). In parts of four seasons, he slashed .213/.265/.272 in nearly 1,200 games.
Allen continues to get playing time because of his top glove. He was touted as a standout infielder as early as high school. Allen has played great defense every season of his career. Defensive runs saved made him the third-best shortstop in MLB this year. Mookie Bates and Zach Neto. Statcast’s above-average outing also puts him in third place, albeit behind Bobby Witt Jr. and Ma Xinwen.
DuPont is unlikely That If he plays shortstop every day, he’ll be a linebacker. However, Statcast rates him as an elite defender in 721 career innings. His defensive run save rate is close to league average. Dupont should be able to play there every day, and he’s not exactly a zero-offense guy. This is especially true in favorable platoon matchups, as he’s batted .288/.329/.417 against left-handed pitchers over the past three years.
The Braves can’t afford to go into next season with Allen at the top of the shortstop depth chart. Dubón is a lower-end regular, but on a higher floor. This shouldn’t dampen Atalanta’s interest in extending the contract Kim Ha Sung. Dubón has the versatility to provide rear cover Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley Supplementary left-handed hitting at both second and third base Michael Harris II In midfield. Still, if King signs elsewhere in a market lacking shortstop replacements in free agency or trade, he’s at least a legitimate one-year backup.
Dupont is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility. MLBTR writer Matt Swartz projects his salary at $5.8MM. Allen is arbitration-eligible for the first time as a Super Two and is subject to four years of control. His estimated selling price is $1.50. Houston cut just over $4MM from its books while downgrading its utility role rating.
Barring injury, Allen won’t play shortstop Jeremy Penabut he could provide a glove-only option at second base. Jose Altuve is the primary starter for now, but the Astros hope to continue splitting his playing time among the key players, left fielder and designated hitter. they have been tied Brendan Donovan In trade conversations, other possibilities could be considered (e.g. Brandon Lowe trading, Jorge Polanco If the Cardinals trade Donovan elsewhere. Ideally, they would add a left-handed bat to balance out the right-handed heavy lineup. Allen is not a minor league option, so he will need to be on the active roster or designated for assignment.
Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported that Dupont had been traded to the Braves just before the news was announced. Respective images courtesy of Jerome Miron and Brett Davis of Imagn Images.
