Which AL contender needs Daniel Murphy the most?

2. Houston Astros

Seemingly out of nowhere, the Astros have found themselves in a very precarious position in the AL West. The A’s are for real, and are going to give them a run for their money all the way to the final days of the season. Houston is well aware of how impactful an August trade can be, as they rode Justin Verlander to the World Series last year and are now watching him make a run at the AL Cy Young.

The Astros briefly fell into a tie with the A’s last weekend, but should be considered the favorites to come out on top with another division title. Houston does have the best team on paper, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Oakland has won three-fourths of its games for the past two months.

By reputation alone, the Astros should be taking it to the A’s, but that has not been the case. Oakland has been swallowing up ground at an epic pace in the second half, and none of it is a mirage. Their hitters have put up a .800 OPS since the break and their pitchers have a 3.16 ERA. Both marks are considerably better than the Astros.

Last season, the Astros were able to bludgeon teams to death with one of the best lineups in recent MLB history. They have cooled off drastically this year, most notably role players like Marwin Gonzalez and Josh Reddick. Before landing on the disabled list, Brian McCann was suffering through the worst year of his career, by far.

Daniel Murphy makes a great deal of sense for the Astros, especially considering Jose Altuve just showed he is in fact mortal by going on the DL with a knee injury. Murphy can play first base, occasionally spell Altuve at second as he returns to action and DH to keep his own knees fresh. The Astros have the ability to take on salary or offer the Nationals a solid prospect if they are serious about making another late-season acquisition to bolster their World Series hopes.