Today’s 12-3 loss to the White Sox ended the Astros’ five-game winning streak, but the win at least helped undo some of the damage done to Houston’s 1-6 record over its past seven games. The Astros remain under .500 at 52-55, but have a 32-24 mark over their last 56 contests.
With the Astros two games back of the AL West lead and the wild card berth, GM Dana Brown reiterated today on the Astros’ pregame radio show that “we can expect to be consumers” at the trade deadline.The division is wide open. The wild card is wide open. There is a balance there. There are many groups gathered together. I think the team that will be the hottest will be the running team,” Brown said. (Tip to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome for part of the interview.)
This has been Brown’s situation for nearly two months now, even if things look bleak for the Astros after their poor 20-31 start. Brown has also been open about the team’s desire to add both infield depth and left-handed hitting balance to the right-handed lineup, but Sunday’s comments included a desire to “any production we can get,” even if it’s just another right-handed bat as a form of improvement.
“We want some type of attacking bat who can play outside,” said Brown.If it’s a left-handed bat, great, but any kind of offensive improvement that can help expand the lineup would be our focus..”
Any number of outfielders could be available if Houston increases its focus on right-handed bats, but by sticking with left-handed hitters, the Astros are known to have scouted the Rockies. Mickey Moniak again Jake McCarthy. With the collapsing Blue Jays now looking like deadline day sellers, Daulton Varsho or the former Astro Jesus Sanchez they are rental players who could use Houston’s radar.
How much financial flexibility Brown has to make additions at the deadline is an open question, as it is assumed that ownership would like to come under the luxury tax threshold after two tax years. According to MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, the Astros’ estimated payroll number is estimated at $235.6MM, providing only a small spot under the $244MM cap.
Houston has already shaved $2.5MM off the salary dump trades it sent Lance McCullers Jr. for the Brewers, with a southpaw Colton Gordon added as a sweet ingredient to convince Milwaukee to pick up the remaining $6.67MM portion of McCullers’ deal. Rome speculates that the Astros may need to move money to better address their deadline needs, and suggested that Cristian Javier or Christian Walker they can be people who will trade in this context.
Javier is owed the remainder of his $21MM salary in 2026 and another $21MM in 2027. Like McCullers, Javier’s last few seasons have been an injury-riddled mess, so trading Javier would likely require Houston to eat up a large portion of the contract. Walker is owed another $20MM in salary in 2026 and another $20MM in 2027, but with the first baseman hitting so well, the Astros could get some kind of decent return while getting significant payroll savings. As Rome notes, however, moving Walker also creates another roster hole that the Astros will need to address.
Perhaps due to salary alone, Walker may be the only big name the Astros would consider trading. Naturally the club isn’t moving any of its big names during the deadline push, as the Red Sox reportedly got – 7 News’ Ari Alexander writes that the Sox “they were closed immediately” after asking Jeremy Pena.
With Pena only under arbitration control through 2027, there was speculation that he might be the player moved when the Astros faced an infield surplus. Some of that trade came up again when the Astros got off to a rough start, and they seem to be on their way to becoming deadline sellers. Well, now there’s no way Houston is moving a player who was as hot as a baseball player six weeks ago.
In other Astros news, Rome reports that Wake Forest University has offered a job to Astros hitting coordinator/director Dan Hennigan. There’s no word on whether or not Hennigan will agree, and the Astros are making efforts to retain Hennigan’s services.
Hennigan has served in the offensive coordinator role for the past two seasons, and the addition of the offensive coordinator title made him an official member of the coaching staff. With Brown and manager Joe Espada both in the final year of their contracts, it’s not surprising to see Hennigan (or perhaps other members of the organization) may want to move on to a possible front office and dugout overhaul at the end of the season, perhaps even if Houston makes the playoffs.
