The Astros are currently 31-39 and in fourth place in the AL West, but the American League average is only four games out of the Wild Card spot. Earlier this week, general manager Dana Brown pushed back hard on the idea of a trade Jeremy Peña or Jordan Alvarez. Brown shared more details about the Astros’ offseason plan with MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, saying the team will be looking to improve their outfield and bullpen.
“If we can get some terrific outside help at the last minute, that would be great,” Brown told McTaggart. “If we can get some bullpen help, that would be great. Those are two big things.” The GM went on to say when will the rotation stabilize Hunter Brown, Cristian Javierand some injured starters are returning, so that won’t be as much of a focus as outfield and rotation.
Almost every club is looking to add to their bullpen, but Dana Brown’s comments about outfield additions are especially noteworthy. Houston’s 102 wRC+ team is in the middle of the pack, but its outfielders are a Bottom-5 unit with just an 86 wRC+. For their foreign players, only Cam Smith he’s made enough plate appearances to qualify, and he’s less than 9% below average in wRC+, though his stellar defense makes him absolutely valuable.
The current list includes Joey Loperfido in the left field, Taylor Trammell in the center, with Smith on the right. Loperfido hits 29.2% of the time in a small sample. Trammell has a 98 wRC+ in 76 plate appearances but sports a .452 average on balls in play that will eventually return to earth. LaMonte Wade Jr.currently on the 10-day disabled list, he had a wRC+ of 119 in 2024 but struggled so badly last year that the Giants designated him for assignment. Wade will remain until the second half on the team’s injury report, and he will not be a difference maker when he returns.
With so many competitors and few obvious sellers, it’s hard to say which outfield players will be available in Houston in a trade. In addition, the Astros have a weak farm system with only two Top-100 prospects according to MLB.com. That will limit them to viewing rentals and free pieces in the outdoor area.
Currently, the Tigers, Red Sox, Royals, and Angels are four teams behind the Astros in the Wild Card standings. The Tigers and Red Sox’ outfielders both have several years of control left and will require significant returns, so they won’t be able to move. Maybe the Angels would Jo Adell it is available with just one and a half year of regulation left. Adell is hitting below average this year but has a 146 wRC+ against lefties, so he can keep up with Loperfido and Trammell, who both hit from the left side. Either way, some kind of outfield development is needed if the Astros want to secure a Wild Card spot.
The same goes for improving the bullpen. At this point in the season, Houston pitchers have a 4.82 ERA that ranks seventh worst in the Majors. Another De Los Santos, Bryan Kingagain Steven Okert they have ERAs between 2.51 and 3.07, but the latter two outperformed their SIERAs by at least a full run and are regression candidates. AJ Blubaugh again Bryan Abreu he struggled mightily. The latest comeback is imminent Josh Hader it helps a lot, but the ‘pen needs more than one or two governing arms to be a functional unit as a whole.
As with potential improvements on the pitch, the club may not have the cash to pull off a high-profile release. That said, it may be easier to combine several mid-level prospects for bullpen pieces. Fifteen of the club’s top-30 prospects on MLB.com are right-handed pitchers, so perhaps Houston could look to trade that depth for some strong bullpen arms.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
