July 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nClub officials have spent the past few weeks pondering their biggest priority. A farm system without any top-end talent will make acquiring multiple players difficult. Injuries are also making it dangerous to trade the few healthy players remaining on the major-league roster.<\/p>\n
Pursuing pitching help \u2014 either an established starter or a right-handed leverage reliever \u2014 once appeared Houston\u2019s most pressing need. Paredes\u2019 injury has increased the likelihood of adding at least one bat, according to multiple team sources, though the fact Houston is in the market for one is not a surprise.<\/p>\n
General manager Dana Brown has reiterated his desire for a left-handed hitter for the past two months. He\u2019s also fond of repeating a favorite axiom: \u201cYou can never have enough pitching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing both areas is the most logical answer. Perhaps Brown can pull it off, but the lack of impact talent in his farm system will put him at a disadvantage in most bidding wars with other buyers. A slew of teams still deciding whether to sell has created a slow-developing market, though conversations are occurring.<\/p>\n
Whether owner Jim Crane will authorize crossing the luxury tax for a second consecutive year must also be considered, especially if Houston is pursuing multiple acquisitions.<\/p>\n
Past trade deadlines have proven Crane can be aggressive when his club has a legitimate chance at a championship. According to FanGraphs, this Astros team awoke Tuesday with 7.3 percent odds to win the World Series. Only two American League clubs had better odds.<\/p>\n
However, no precedent exists for Houston\u2019s payroll situation. Last season, the club exceeded the luxury tax and paid penalties for the first time during Crane\u2019s ownership tenure. It is unclear if he\u2019s amenable to doing so again. According to Cot\u2019s Contracts, the Astros are $2,048,672 under the first luxury tax threshold.<\/p>\n
Payroll must be monitored, but progress from the team\u2019s four injured starting pitchers may play a more critical role. Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia and J.P. France are all scheduled to appear for Double-A Corpus Christi this week, according to the team. Cristian Javier will make a start for Triple-A Sugar Land.<\/p>\n
An August return for all four pitchers feels feasible, presuming they avoid any setbacks. Just activating them will aid an injury-ravaged staff, but Brown and his lieutenants must weigh how effective they\u2019ll be after such long layoffs. Garcia hasn\u2019t pitched in a major-league game in 26 months. Both France and Javier have missed more than 13 months.<\/p>\n
Insuring themselves by acquiring another starter is a sensible plan. So is adding another leverage reliever to shorten games and lessen the pressure on Houston\u2019s top-heavy starting rotation. Bear in mind, the club is 30-31 in games not started by Hunter Brown or Framber Valdez.<\/p>\n
Reinforcements are also looming for the Astros\u2019 lineup, but it is far more difficult to forecast when they\u2019ll arrive. Their substitute-laden lineup has held its own in the absence of notable names, defying logic while growing a lead atop the American League West.<\/p>\n
The Astros are averaging 4.7 runs with a .761 OPS in the 69 games since slugger Yordan Alvarez last took an at-bat. Shortstop Jeremy Pe\u00f1a fractured his left rib on June 27. Houston averaged 5.5 runs across the next 18 games, albeit with Paredes atop the batting order.<\/p>\n
According to both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs\u2019 calculations of wins above replacement, Paredes is Houston\u2019s second-most valuable position player behind Pe\u00f1a. Replacing that on the trade market is impossible, but the Astros wouldn\u2019t attempt to do that.<\/p>\n
Finding a left-handed hitter who can play anywhere on the infield is an obvious priority. The Tampa Bay Rays do not seem inclined to move second baseman Brandon Lowe, who landed on the injured list Tuesday with a left foot injury. Colorado\u2019s Ryan McMahon is an ideal fit for the Astros, but his $12 million salary calls into question whether Crane would cross the luxury tax. If the New York Mets dangle Brett Baty, he fits the mold. So does Baltimore\u2019s All-Star designated hitter Ryan O\u2019Hearn or Minnesota\u2019s switch hitting utilityman Willi Castro.<\/p>\n
Acquiring any of them would raise the floor of Houston\u2019s depleted offense, but none would supply the jolt of Alvarez, Pe\u00f1a or Paredes returning at full strength.
Whether that will happen is a mystery, making the next nine days a far more fascinating time.<\/p>\n
(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n