Brown: Astros Exploring Market For Left-Handed Bats

Even as the Astros have lost 60% of their rotation to the injured list, they not only remain in contention — they hold a relatively commanding five-game lead over the second-place Mariners in the American League West. It’s shaping up to be another deadline focused on adding talent, and general manager Dana Brown candidly indicated yesterday in a radio appearance on SportsTalk 790 AM that he hopes to add a left-handed bat prior to the July 31 trade deadline (link via Chandler Rome of The Athletic). Brown acknowledged that there are other items on his wishlist but called a left-handed bat the “big issue.”

It’s stating the obvious, in many ways. With Yordan Alvarez out indefinitely due to a small fracture in his hand — an injury originally announced as inflammation — the only left-handed bat in the Astros’ lineup is switch-hitting catcher Victor Caratini. Backup catcher César Salazar, utility infielder Luis Guillorme and switch-hitting catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel are all on the bench as left-handed options. Just minutes before this was published, the ’Stros also reinstated outfielder Taylor Trammell from the injured list and optioned infielder/outfielder Shay Whitcomb, giving them another lefty bat off the bench.

Brown didn’t list a specific position at which he hopes to add a left-handed hitter. The Astros’ least-productive spots on the diamond, by measure of wRC+, have been first base, second base, left field and designated hitter. First base is being manned by Christian Walker after he signed a three-year, $60MM contract in the offseason. He’s not likely to lose his job anytime soon. The struggles at the other three positions are all intertwined.

Jose Altuve has taken up the lion’s share of playing time in left field this year and has graded as one of the game’s worst defenders there. Defensive Runs Saved has him last in the majors among left fielders. Statcast’s Outs Above Average has him “only” tied for fifth-worst, but many of the people surrounding him have played more innings. On a rate basis, he’s close  to the bottom. Those struggles aren’t exactly surprising; Altuve is learning left field on the fly at 35 years of age — but the reason he’s doing so is because his glovework at second base had deteriorated so much. He’s also graded poorly at second in limited time this season. Altuve could, in theory, be moved to designated hitter — but Alvarez will return at some point. Houston could up Alvarez’s time in left field, but he’s not a great defender himself and the Astros have limited his reps in the outfield due to a history of knee troubles.

There’s not necessarily one clean spot where Houston can acquire a left-handed bat and plug said hitter into the lineup on an everyday basis at that singular position. That’s just emblematic of how teams operate these days, though. Most clubs rotate players through multiple positions as opposed to the bygone era of set starting players at every position on the diamond. There are a few players who’ll be regularly penciled into the same spot regardless of matchup on every team, of course, but not entire lineups constructed in that manner.

Broadly speaking, it might behoove the Astros to target a left-handed bat who can play both the infield and the outfield. That could mean less playing time for Altuve, Walker, utilityman Mauricio Dubon and right fielder Cam Smith, but no one from that group would see his at-bats erode entirely.

It’s still too early for many clubs around the league to make determinations on buying and selling, but someone like switch-hitting utilityman Willi Castro would be a nice fit in Houston if the Twins can’t escape their recent tailspin and wind up selling some rental players. The Rays are typically willing to engage on their more expensive veteran players, regardless of contention status, and they’re nearing the end of their commitment to Brandon Lowe (signed through 2025 with an $11.5MM club option for 2026). The Cardinals are too close to playoff contention right now to consider it, but Brendan Donovan is the type of player who could benefit the Astros. Those, to be clear, are speculative suggestions but are the sorts of players whose skill sets would gel with the Astros’ roster as currently constructed.

Any talk of Houston adding to the roster should be accompanied by a payroll caveat. Astros owner Jim Crane is reportedly loath to exceed the luxury tax for a second straight season. He’s publicly suggested that he’d do so in the right scenario — an Alex Bregman this past offseason appeared to be such a case, for instance — but the team’s actual actions and reporting from the Houston beat all strongly suggest staying under the $241MM tax threshold is a priority. The Astros, knowing a Kyle Tucker extension would stretch well beyond Crane’s comfort levels, traded him to the Cubs this past offseason. They also dumped a good portion of Ryan Pressly’s contract in separate swap with the Cubs later in the winter — a move that dipped them back under the tax threshold.

An April trade with the Braves in which Houston surprisingly found a taker for $3MM of the remaining commitment to Rafael Montero could prove pivotal this summer. The Astros had been about $2.5MM shy of the tax threshold at that point. RosterResource now estimates them to be about $5.5MM away, giving Brown a good bit of additional leeway as he seeks to add some left-handed balance to his lineup.