The Astros are among a number of teams in the thick of a tightly-contested American League playoff picture. Six games back of the Rangers in the division but jockeying for position in the Wild Card race, the defending World Series champions enter deadline season looking to add to the roster.
General manager Dana Brown has already expressed a desire to add a left-handed bat, preferably one who can play multiple positions. In an appearance on the Sean Salisbury Show on 790 AM this morning, Brown reiterated that adding to the offense is the priority. He said that while the front office is “always open to acquiring an arm,” the club is “focused right now on a bat.”
It doesn’t seem anything is imminent. Brown suggested the trade market has yet to really heat up, in large part because of the number of clubs that have yet to pick a direction. With the 12-team playoff format and only a few organizations at the nadir of a rebuild, most front offices can still see a path to contention. The Nationals, Rockies, Royals and A’s are the only teams that are double-digit games out of a playoff spot.
Brown expressed a general openness to being aggressive in the pursuit of short-term help. Asked if there were any prospects the front office deemed “untouchable,” the GM said they were willing to consider moving anyone. Brown did specifically say the Astros wouldn’t deal Drew Gilbert — last year’s first-round pick and arguably the top prospect in a middling farm system — for any impending free agents. He left open the possibility of moving Gilbert for an MLB player with multiple seasons of club control, however.
That’s not to say the Astros are likely to move Gilbert so much as an acknowledgement the front office will consider various ways to push for a seventh consecutive playoff appearance. Houston’s offense has been surprisingly pedestrian, entering play Wednesday tied for 14th in MLB in run-scoring. Yordan Alvarez has been down for a couple weeks with an oblique strain and seems unlikely to return before the All-Star Break. Michael Brantley still hasn’t played as he works back from last summer’s shoulder surgery.
Those injuries have pushed Yainer Diaz and Corey Julks into regular playing time in the left field/designated hitter mix. Diaz has hit seven home runs in 139 plate appearances but has only walked three times. Julks has a .257/.297/.393 line in 60 games. José Abreu has had a disastrous initial season in Houston at first base, although he has hit a homer in two of his last three games as he looks to find his form.
Brown has generally seemed more comfortable with the club’s rotation outlook even as he’s acknowledged an overarching need around the league for pitching depth. Houston has had to lean on J.P. France and Ronel Blanco after losing Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia for the season and José Urquidy for a couple months.
The GM acknowledged to Salisbury that any other starting pitching injury would spur more urgency to look outside the organization. Houston’s top three of Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown has been excellent. France has done a decent job preventing runs despite a middling strikeout rate. Blanco has a 4.70 ERA with 11 walks over four starts. Getting Urquidy back from shoulder discomfort not long after the Break would go a long way towards stabilizing the staff.
I don’t believe it’s the Astros year; all the pitching injuries, the not-wise signings of Brantley, Montero and Abreu and the trade of Jose Siri will do them in.
They are still right in it. Trade deadline can fix all your problems or at least some of them. 2 months of baseball after that. I told Nationals fans after awful start and Braves fans after Acuna injury the same thing and they won the world series. I only predicted playoffs. Astros are in better shape record wise but worse shape roster wise I feel. Won’t predict playoffs. Would need to look at them closely before doing that and don’t feel like it right now. If more fans are down about their chances I will. But plenty of time left for them.
Alvarez has been out for three weeks now and Brantley has been out all year. Altuve was out for 2 months and just returned, and Urquidy has been out for the past 2 months. And McCullers, Garcia out for the year. And Jose Abreu has not performed well until recently. But still only 0.5 game out of wild card, and 6 out of first. Too early to count them out or in. We’ll see. Hope Brown can make a couple of good moves.
Nice to have another female in MLB
Dana Brown is a male
He’s the UFC guy
Ifya were gonna start cheating again I wouldn’t wait another gm … stros trashcan lives
It was 6 years ago, stick to your day job
You may need to start cheating bc this was a swing and a miss
Every team has tried to cheat. Astros Yankees Red Sox dodgers brewers etc they have all been called out by active players. Red Sox used Apple Watches; Stros are nerds they came up with the camera system. How about that sealed Yankees letters, isn’t it a little shady they a letter between one of them teams and the commissioner has to be sealed?? What could that letter possibly say that they don’t want it to be public? Also let’s not forget how many yankee titles were won with steroids. Call one team a cheater they are all cheaters.
Edit I guess I missed the sealed letter coming out. Okay so in 2015-2016 the Yankees were decoding signs hmmm sounds familiar
I was responding to the OP lol
My bad. Still nice to get that out when people want to still mention the trash cans
Don’t give a crap about no garbage can banging!
As long as they,
Spankee the Yankee,
The Stros are my bros.
Javier has been torched over his last two starts. Prior to that, he had been excellent. Maybe that’s a sign of fatigue? Hopefully, for Astros fans, it’s not a sign of an injury.
Wasn’t he a reliever until midway through last year? Maybe he’s not meant to be a full time starter and it’s catching up to him.
Dana Brown is nothing more than a yes-man for the front office. He’s been given no real power to make decisions and was hired solely to give the appearance of accomplishing a certain objective.
Jeff McNeil for Gilbert.
That’s a Mets fan dreaming. Astros already have 2 second basemen that are better than McNeil.
They said they need a lefty that plays multiple positions. McNeil plays both corner outfield spots, 2nd base and can play third. You aren’t getting a better left handed utility type player anywhere else. He would lengthen your lineup and probably contribute to another championship.
Yeah, but not for the Astros #1 prospect lol
What’s that got to do with anything? He’s not even ranked in the top 100. The Astros might need to throw another prospect in.
He absolutely is ranked in the top 100. Number 75.
My bad. He is in the top 100. 3 1/2 years of McNeil for a #75 prospect is a steal for the Astros. The only reason I would let McNeil go is that Mets pitching is so bad. Hes better off going to a contender for the next couple of years while he is still good. The Astros have a limited window with their position players that McNeil could help.
The point is that the Astros won’t deal Gilbert for McNeil. That’s a non starter in negotiations. IF they had interest in McNeil, they could certainly trade a lesser prospect(s) for him.
I think the article is stating otherwise. Last years batting champ and multiple time allstar that plays multiple positions. He locked up for three more years on a very affordable contract. You are crazy if you think the Astros wouldn’t have interest and what you would need to give in return.
Last years batting champ is batting 13% below league average and isn’t exactly in his prime years.
You aren’t sniffing anyone near the top 100.
While the offense hasn’t been consistently good, it’s the pitching that has dropped off in June – much higher runs against per game. Jose Abreu and Bregman are steadily improving at the plate, and with Altuve back and Yordan+Brantley returning soon, and the rise of solid platoon options in Dubon and Diaz, I think Brown should focus more on pitching.
Ok, I’m a very big Colt 45’s and Astros fan from day one. Can someone please say that Dana Brown is a bust so far. I hate to be the only one saying what I’m saying. From the beginning he’s made several really made bad moves. I mean signing Abreu and Montero were bust moves, at least so far. Can anyone explain why Dusty Baker continues to put Abreu as the cleanup hitter. I too worry about Javier. On one hand he is a dominant pitcher and then out of the blue he struggles. Maybe it is because of an injury but I certainly hope not. Only time will tell. Until Brown makes a great move at the deadline I can’t help but worry that as far as the Astros are concerned that more bad moves could be on the way. Go Astros!
Before you tear into Brown, remember that Abreu, Montero, and Brantley contracts were all done by Jim Crane after he let Click go and before he hired Brown. Brown may have not done those signings had he been in place at the time. You can only evaluate Brown based on moves that he himself has made.
I think they likely sign Abreu still. There is still time for that to turn around. No way they resign Montero though.