Astros Land Just Short of Top Tier in MLB Trade Deadline Primer As Buyers

The Houston Astros have been playing some stellar baseball recently despite having several obstacles to overcome with their roster.

They are dealing with a ridiculous number of injuries, headlined by star designated hitter Yordan Alvarez being sidelined with a fractured hand since May 2. Their injured list also has a full starting rotation on it, plus more, with eight pitchers in total residing there.

Despite that, the Astros have a 46-33 record entering play on June 25, leading the American League West by 4.5 games over the Seattle Mariners.

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That has them in a strong position when it comes to qualifying for the postseason, with Baseball Reference giving them a 92.9% chance to make the playoffs and a 5.7% chance to win the World Series.

Houston is defying expectations, but it is understandable why they weren’t placed amongst the elite in the first version of the MLB trade deadline tiers put together by The Athletic (subscription required).

The Astros are in Tier 2, “Typical Buyers,” with the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Mariners.

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“Basically, these teams look like standard trade deadline buyers: imperfect rosters with needs to address, but still with reasons to believe that a deep October run is possible,” wrote the trio of Chad Jennings, Aaron Gleeman and Tim Britton.

Houston has some glaring needs to address, but it is fair to question if they have the means to be as aggressive as the teams in Tier 1.

Starting pitching depth is their No. 1 priority, with Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco both having to undergo Tommy John surgery. Spencer Arrighetti is still recovering from a fractured hand suffered in a freak accident when he was hit while throwing in the outfield during batting practice.

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Infield help was also listed as a need for the team, since they have failed to find consistent production at second base with Jose Altuve moving to left field.

Their major free agent addition, first baseman Christian Walker, has also struggled in Year 1 with the franchise.

Ideally, if they are going to add infield help, it will come in the form of a left-handed hitter.

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The Astros' lineup is unbalanced, most of the time consisting of nine right-handed hitters with Alvarez being sidelined.

That has to change because it is too easy for opponents to match up with them currently, just needing to load up on right-handed pitchers to create an advantage.

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