Five Houston Astros Top Prospects to Watch at MLB Trade Deadline

The Houston Astros appear to be lined up as clear buyers ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline — and that could mean dealing prospects to get deals done.

Houston has used prospects to get deals done before. In 2023, the Astros dealt a pair of their top outfielders to the New York Mets to re-acquire Justin Verlander, who helped them reach the AL Championship Series.

The Astros will want to be careful about which prospects they deal. Some are needed for the future at key positions.

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Here are five prospects the Astros could include in trades to make the team better for a playoff push. For the purposes of this piece, only prospects with no MLB service time were considered. Outfielder Jacob Melton is considered a prospect but has already made his debut.

SS Brice Matthews

Teams can ask, but it’s unlikely the Astros would trade their top prospect unless it were to bring them an All-Star pitcher or an All-Star slugger that can address their issues from the left side of the plate.

Matthews’ future is even more interesting now that Jeremy Peña has changed agents to Scott Boras, walked away from negotiations on a contract extension and will miss time with a rib injury. Houston may need Matthews as their shortstop of the future.

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P Miguel Ullola

No Astros pitching prospect has soared higher this season than the right-hander, who is now at Triple-A and is the franchise’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline. He could be the Astros minor league pitcher of the year. That means teams will be interested in trying to lure away a hurler who is nearly MLB ready.

Like Matthews, Ullola should only be included in a deal that brings a prime-time player to Houston, and preferably one with some team control.

OF Luis Baez

He’s rising fast in the system and could be ready for the Majors next year. That could be enticing to prospective trade partners with system depth issues in the outfield.

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Last year he hit 21 home runs, fourth most among players his age or younger. He’s just 21 and his right-handed swing is made for the Crawford Boxes in left field at Daikin Park. Houston may not want to part with him.

RHP Michael Knoor

Go deeper into the Top 30 prospects and one finds Knorr. He’s at Triple-A, just lurking there as a potential call-up next season. Health has been an issue for him professionally, but his quick progress after being selected in the third round of the 2022 MLB draft means he has something from a stuff perspective.

His proximity to an MLB call-up means his name will come up.

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INF Caden Powell

A long-term prospect at shortstop or third base, he was a juco product selected in the sixth round of last year’s draft. To decision-makers for other teams, that’s potential. He was power hitter at Seminole State (Okla.) JC, where he slammed 32 home runs and drove in 104 runs in a season.

He has raw power and that could make him a throw-in prospect with long-term growth potential for trade partners.  

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