The Houston Astros have made their trade deadline priorities hard to miss: pitching is at the top of the list.
That much came through clearly after a rough start to the second half. Houston dropped its first two games out of the All-Star break to the Baltimore Orioles, a result that did not line up with what general manager Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada were hoping for.
With the Boston Red Sox putting together a 12-game winning streak, the Astros’ clearest route to the postseason may now be winning the American League West. After Saturday night’s results, they were four games behind the Texas Rangers.
What happens over the next couple of weeks will shape how Brown approaches the August 3 trade deadline. If Houston keeps sliding, the front office could shift into seller mode. If the Astros stay in the mix, the question becomes how aggressive they’re willing to be to help the roster right now.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, one high-ranking Astros executive said the priority is obvious.
“Pitching, pitching and more pitching,'' said the executive to Nightingale.
That tracks with the way Houston has already handled business since the break. Brown moved quickly after the All-Star Game, trading right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and left-handed pitcher Colton Gordon to the Milwaukee Brewers for prospect outfielder Jadyn Fielder. McCullers waived his no-trade clause to make the deal happen, and the move could open the door for more activity soon.
The need is easy to understand. Houston entered the season with questions about how the rotation would hold up behind ace Hunter Brown after Framber Valdez left in free agency. Now the front office has to decide whether this group is strong enough to justify giving up young talent for a shot at winning this year.
The problem is that Houston is not the only club hunting for arms. Brown may find himself in a crowded market, and that could drive up the cost on the pitchers the Astros want. They are not expected to be in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes from the Detroit Tigers, though the source material leaves room for the usual never-say-never caveat.
For now, the next two weeks will tell the story. If the Astros start stacking wins, the deadline picture gets simpler for Brown. If they don’t, the front office may have a much tougher call to make.
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Astros Slump Is Exposing A Costly Problem In The AL Race
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Jose Altuve has been part of that problem, and so have the broader situational issues that keep stacking up around him. The Astros have had trouble advancing runners and finishing innings with a man on third and fewer than two outs, the kind of sequence that tends to separate contenders from teams chasing them. For a club that still profiles as an above-average lineup, the concern is less about whether it can hit at all and more about whether it can keep doing the little things that matter most in a crowded AL race. [Read more 🡒]
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Astros Still Need The Hunter Brown They Thought Was Back
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That has shown up in the way hitters are approaching him, with more walks and less chase than Houston is used to seeing from one of its top arms. Brown has still had moments that hint at the old form, but the Astros are waiting for the consistency to return, because they know the margin for error gets thin quickly when the fastball is lively but the pitches around it are not landing where they need to. [Read more 🡒]