Houston Astros fans are eagerly anticipating the trade deadline, hoping that Dana Brown will make several impactful deals, thereby giving his team its best chance to win the World Series. Yes, the Astros, even with their myriad of injuries and the departure of stars like Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, are, somehow, among the best teams in the league.
While Astros fans are eager to see major blockbusters go down, recent history would suggest that Brown ought to be a bit cautious when it comes to taking big swings. The team has made its share of great deals, obviously, but the bad trades arguably stick out even more.
With that in mind, here are the four worst deadline deals the team has made in the last decade.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Astros acquire Martin Maldonado from Angels (2018)
With Brian McCann out with injury, the Astros needed to acquire a catcher to pair with Max Stassi. They landed Martin Maldonado in a deal with the Los Angeles Angels, sending left-handed pitching prospect Patrick Sandoval to their division rivals. This did not age well at all.
Why the Astros trade for Martin Maldonado is one of their worst deals
While Maldonado was always an exceptional defensive catcher, he simply provided nothing offensively. In 41 regular-season games in 2018 with the Astros, Maldonado slashed .231/.257/.398 with four home runs and 12 RBI, and he had just two hits in 19 at-bats that postseason. The Astros fell in the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox that year.
Yes, Maldonado did eventually get a ring with Houston in 2022, but that was in his second tour of duty with the organization. The Astros let Maldonado leave after the 2018 season, only to then bring him back in 2019.
Had the Astros not given much up, this deal probably wouldn't have registered, but Sandoval, when healthy, is a solid mid-rotation arm. He's no longer with the Angels, but he had some good years in Anaheim, including the 2022 campaign in which he posted a 2.91 ERA in 27 starts. Sandoval would've looked quite good in the back-end of Houston's rotation, instead, they traded him for just a couple of subpar months of Maldonado.
Astros acquire Christian Vazquez from Red Sox (2022)
With Maldonado providing little value offensively at the catcher position in 2022, the Astros acquired Christian Vazquez in a deal with the Red Sox. Vazquez, like Maldonado, was a defense-first catcher, but he was having one of the best offensive years of his career with Boston. Unfortunately, not only did Vazquez stop hitting in Houston, but the Astros also wound up parting with a really good player.
Why the Astros trade for Christian Vazquez is one of their worst deals
Vazquez had a .585 OPS in 35 regular-season games for the Astros and started only three playoff games. The team won the World Series, so it's hard to get too worked up, but since Maldonado was their primary starter anyway, the trade was pretty useless. And what makes it look even worse is that Wilyer Abreu was sent to the Red Sox in this deal.
Neither Abreu nor Valdez was highly touted, but now, Abreu looks like a budding star. He's hit 20 home runs and has an .816 OPS this season for the Red Sox, and is seen as a key piece of their present and future. He'd certainly look good in Houston's corner outfield right now. Instead, he was traded for a couple of months of a player who didn't make much of an impact.
Astros acquire Francisco Liriano from Blue Jays (2017)
Hoping to improve their club at the 2017 trade deadline, the Astros acquired Francisco Liriano in a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a pair of outfielders, Teoscar Hernandez and Nori Aoki. Liriano was in the midst of a down year, but he had been reliable in the past, and the Astros didn't give up too much to acquire him. Or so we thought: Liriano struggled with Houston, and the Astros wound up giving up more than they'd figured.
Why the Astros trade for Francisco Liriano is one of their worst deals
Liriano was used exclusively out of the bullpen by Houston and had a 4.41 regular-season ERA across 20 appearances and 14.1 innings of work. He pitched pretty well in his five postseason appearances, but only recorded seven outs in total. The Astros won the World Series, but Liriano didn't do much to help, and then wasn't back with the team in 2018.
Where this deal really went south was Houston's willingness to send Hernandez to Toronto. Hernandez made an instant impact down the stretch for the Jays in 2017 and soon developed into one of the game's best power-hitting outfielders. Trading the two-time All-Star for 20 mediocre appearances of a left-handed reliever was not a good idea in hindsight.
Astros acquire Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers from Brewers (2015)
The biggest deal on this list saw the Astros acquire both Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. At the time of the deal, it felt like a blessing in disguise for Houston, as they were able to acquire Gomez less than a day after the New York Mets had backed out of a separate deal for the outfielder. As it turns out, the Mets knew what they were talking about with Gomez, and the Astros parted with far too much to acquire him.
Why the Astros trade for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers is one of their worst deals
Gomez, the centerpiece of the deal, struggled mightily with the Astros, posting a .670 OPS in 41 games down the stretch of the 2015 season and a .594 OPS mark in 85 games in 2016 before getting DFA'd. Fiers fared a bit better for parts of three seasons with the Astros, but was nothing more than a back-end starter and, perhaps most importantly, wound up exposing the team's 2017 cheating scandal.
The main prize that went to Milwaukee was Brett Phillips, an outfield prospect who, despite being a tremendous defender, didn't offer much at the plate. Domingo Santana and Adrian Houser had some good moments in Milwaukee, but were pretty replaceable. Where this deal stung was the inclusion of Josh Hader, a left-hander who'd soon become the best reliever in baseball with the Brewers. He'd eventually make his way back to Houston, but the Astros certainly wish they had him when he was at the peak of his powers.