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Ender Inciarte drawing interest from Houston Astros

By John Buhler

Aug 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Ender Inciarte (5) hits a two-run RBI double against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 6, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks center fielder Ender Inciarte (5) hits a two-run RBI double against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ender Inciarte has drawn considerable trade interest since arriving in Atlanta in the Shelby Miller deal with Arizona. Might he be on his way to Houston?

Ender Inciarte is reportedly one of the hottest names in terms of tradable players entering 2016 Spring Training. The Atlanta Braves recently acquired the 25-year-old centerfielder from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the deal that sent Shelby Miller to the desert for Inciarte, right-handed pitching prospect Aaron Blair, and former No. 1 overall draft pick shortstop and Marietta, Georgia native Dansby Swanson.

According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Houston Astros have expressed interest in acquiring the presumable starting centerfield for the 2016 Atlanta Braves in Ender Inciarte. Crasnick believes that the Astros would have to move their starting centerfielder Carlos Gomez to conceivably get Inciarte from the Braves.

That’s not to say that the Atlanta Braves would want Carlos Gomez in a tit-for-tat type of deal with the Astros for Ender Inciarte, as Gomez all too often ruffled the feathers of the Atlanta Braves when his former team the Milwaukee Brewers came to town. So maybe Houston moves Gomez who they acquired at the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline before possibly striking a deal with Atlanta for Ender Inciarte?

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Atlanta and Houston did orchestrate a high-profile trade last winter, as the Braves sent popular power-hitting catcher/leftfielder Evan Gattis to the Astros to fireball-throwing right-handed pitching prospect Mike Foltynewicz. Gattis helped Houston make the AL Postseason and defeat the New York Yankees in the 2015 Wild Card Game before falling to the eventual World Series Champion Kansas City Royals in the ALDS.

Foltynewicz has Major League talent with his 98+ MPH fastball, but it is up in the air if he is best served as a starting pitcher or as a power-armed reliever. He also dealt with blood clots during his first season in Atlanta in 2015.

Houston is obviously a talent rich organization, so maybe the Braves have their eye on one of the Astros’ many young players. While Ender Inciarte could certainly stand as a key building block for the Atlanta Braves with his ability to leadoff and play centerfield, he does have a great deal of intrigue from many other teams in the MLB.

Should Atlanta part ways with Inciarte, it would be because of what they could get in return. What makes Houston a believable trade partner for the Atlanta Braves is that the Astros have recently rebuilt their team and are now a contender in the American League.

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Expect Atlanta Braves general manager John Coppolella to vet all the options before choosing what is best for the club’s future before coming to a decision on what Ender Inciarte means to the 2016 Atlanta Braves.

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