There are many teams in Major League Baseball that are struggling mightily despite being top contenders at the start of the year.
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The problems of the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies might be the two that take center stage, but the Houston Astros’ problems this year are just as concerning, if not more so.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller, after such a disastrous start to the year, predicts that the Astros will pull off a trade plan at the deadline, which will include a big sale of many of their players to contenders to regain some value in a disastrous season.
Astros expected to trade players at deadline
“The Houston Astros will be sellers at the trade deadline,” Miller writes. “…It wouldn’t be a full-blown 2021 Chicago Cubs-style fire sale, but they do have some desirable assets expiring.”
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The Astros (11-19) are the worst team in the American League, and that’s because of some brutal performances from their pitchers this season. While the pitching staff may be difficult to negotiate, there are some names on offense to keep an eye on.
Yordan Alvarez, if he were on the trade block, would command a massive return that could rival some of the best accomplishments of any player trade in MLB history. But Houston shouldn’t trade him if they want to be competitive in the near future.
Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker are two realistic trade candidates for the Astros this season at the deadline. Paredes has a .687 OPS this season and would be a good option for a team that needs right-handed power.
Further: Pete Crow-Armstrong still struggling to hit well for Cubs
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Walker has a .956 OPS this season and would surely draw interest from teams looking for more power at the first base position. A team like the Pittsburgh Pirates would make sense in a deal for Walker.
Miller points to Lance McCullers Jr., Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert and Enyel De Los Santos as some pitchers who could also be on the move.
Even if Houston ends up trading some of its players before the deadline, as Miller predicts, it might not be a full-scale fire sale.
Álvarez, José Altuve, Carlos Correa, Jeremy Peña and Hunter Brown are a core this team can get excited about next year, even if 2026 is a full-blown disaster.
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Trading one of those stars would cement the end of this era of Astros baseball and kick off a likely lengthy rebuild. That’s not likely to happen, so if the Astros sell some players, they will likely be trades for players who are about to expire or those who are in crowded rooms.