MLB Trade Deadline 2017: 5 best spots for Mike Moustakas

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Houston Astros

AL, West

They need to put it all together. The Houston Astros have simply destroyed opponents at the plate in the first half. Houston is a full 10 games better than anybody else in the American League this season with a 60-29 record at the All-Star break. They need to be all-in on winning the World Series this season, point-blank.

Houston already has three All-Stars in the field in Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and George Springer, but why not add a fourth at the hot corner in Moustakas? He would only be a short-term rental for the Astros, as Moustakas doesn’t feel like a long-term fit for the on-the-rise Astros financially. Look for him to be that Carlos Beltran type of addition Houston added over a decade ago to compete for championships.

While the Astros are the toast of the Junior Circuit, they may not be alone atop baseball’s highest perch. The Los Angeles Dodgers have ended the first half on an absolute tear. The Dodgers have more wins than any team in baseball at the All-Star break with 61, one better than Houston.

Are these two clubs on a collision course in October? Potentially, but Houston hasn’t made the Fall Classic since 2005. Los Angeles hasn’t played in a World Series since the Ronald Reagan administration. It’s all about winning postseason ball games. Moustakas did that for the Royals for two years and could do that for the Astros in 2017.