Former MLB Exec Shares Trades Astros' AL West Rivals Can Make at Deadline

The Houston Astros are currently sitting atop the American League West with a record of 43-32.

They are five games clear of the Seattle Mariners, who are in second place with a record of 37-36, and 6.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels, who are in third with a 36-38 mark.

The Astros have done a great job building this early lead, but there is plenty of work left to do. Several obstacles have popped up recently for the team to overcome, such as injuries to key players on the roster.

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They are still waiting for star designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who is dealing with a fractured hand, to return to the lineup.

Their starting rotation has been decimated by injuries, relying heavily on Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown to carry the load with Hayden Wesneski, Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco and Lance McCullers Jr. all hitting the injured list.

Finding upgrades ahead of the MLB trade deadline will be a challenge for a Houston squad that already has a massive payroll and is lacking organizational depth in the form of prospects to build trade packages around.

For the Astros, internal improvement from players struggling and getting healthy is all they may have to count on for a second-half boost.

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They will be keeping a close eye on deadline activity, though, because members of their division are going to be looking to swing trades to upgrade their rosters and chase them down in the standings.

If any of the trades that Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) has suggested come to fruition, Houston is going to face some stiff challenges in the coming months.

For the Mariners, the former MLB executive has pitched a proposal with the Arizona Diamondbacks centered around slugging first baseman Josh Naylor.

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With a massive hole at first base, where they just designated Rowdy Tellez for assignment, Seattle would fill that void in a huge way with Naylor, who is set to become a free agent after the year.

Given some of their salary restraints, an impact rental would fit what the Mariners are looking for without sacrificing prime assets. Bowden suggested right-handed pitchers Casey Legumina and Ryan Sloan heading to the Diamondbacks in exchange.

The other AL West foe the former MLB executive pitched a trade for is the Angels.

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In their proposal, they upgrade their starting rotation, acquiring Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins in exchange for right-handed pitchers George Klassen and Chris Cortez.

Cabrera, who has had some injury issues, has some elite metrics that could excite teams ahead of the trade deadline.

Adding him to a rotation that also includes Yusei Kikuchi, Tyler Anderson, Jose Soriano and Kyle Hendricks, all having solid campaigns, would give Los Angeles a strong rotation to push for a playoff spot and attempt to chase down the Astros.

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