Trade Deadline Preview: Houston Astros
By Drew Jenkins
May 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Robbie Grossman (19) makes a running catch for an out against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Biggest team needs
1. Relief pitchers
As much as the Astros’ starting rotation has taken a leap forward, the bullpen has remained mediocre. Chad Qualls has had a nice season as the Astros’ closer, and both Tony Sipp and Darin Downs have been succesful. But despite that, they bullpen as a whole is tied for last in the league with a 4.75 ERA, and they are tied for 3rd worst in batting average against. Good teams tend to have good bullpens, and the Astros will need to add to their bullpen in the future. Some of that may come internally, but the Astros could also target young, controllable relievers in a trade to give them some long-term pieces in the ‘pen.
2. Outfielders
George Springer is the long-term answer in right field, and Dexter Fowler has put up a nice season in center. But, Fowler is a free agent after the 2015 season, and the Astros have received little production out of their left fielders this season. They do have Preston Tucker and Delino DeShields coming up the pipeline, but those guys are by no means sure things. The Astros could stand to add some organizational depth in the outfield, and if they get a chance to acquire a young, close to the big leagues outfielder they should take it.
3. Starting pitching
Every system rebuild has to begin with starting pitching. The Astros have added plenty of pitching to their system, and it has finally begun to show this season with even more help on the way. That being said, you can never acquire too much starting pitching. If there’s one example of that, it is the Tampa Bay Rays, who are competitive year in and year out (until this year, that is), and consistently seem to have 8+ starting pitchers capable of pitching in the big leagues. If the Astros horde starters right now, it is going to pay huge dividends in the long run.