Astros trade rumors: Houston checks on Ender Inciarte

One of the deepest positions for the Houston Astros is the outfield. The Astros have three clear starters in George Springer, Colby Rasmus, and Carlos Gomez. The bench spots are also set at Jake Marisnick, Preston Tucker, Evan Gattis and Andrew Aplin was added to the 40-man roster this offseason.

It is a bit of a surprise to see ESPN's Jerry Crasnick report the Astros had inquired about Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte:

The #Astros have inquired on #Braves CF Ender Inciarte. Presumably would have to move Carlos Gomez to make a deal work.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) January 13, 2016

Are the Astros trying to move on from Carlos Gomez before free agency hits? Does Jeff Luhnow want to find more time for Marisnick? What does the Astros see in Inciarte?

Gomez batted .242 (36x149) with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 41 games with Houston -- six runs saved in the field per Rdrs. Inciarte batted .303 (159x524) with six home runs and 45 RBIs in 132 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks -- 29 runs saved in the field per Rdrs. Inciarte had a wRC+ of 100 and Gomez had a 96 wRC+ in 2015.

Inciarte would be under control till 2020, compared to Gomez who hits the market in 2017.

It may be nothing but interesting to see what happens before the start of the 2016 season.