Astros should say yes to this Brandon Lowe trade in a heartbeat

Congratulations may already be in order for the Houston Astros, who are inching ever closer to their eighth AL West title in nine years.

Although Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners are trying to keep things close, history favors Jose Altuve’s Astros club. However, this postseason will look quite different with or without the Astros, seeing as Altuve is no longer Houston’s everyday second baseman.

It’s been a strange season for Altuve, who has played nearly as many games at second (32) as he has in left field (38) through Wednesday’s games. The Astros need second-base help in the worst way — and, no, we don’t expect ex-New York Yankees slugger DJ LeMahieu to fill that void.

Instead, as ex-MLB general manager Jim Bowden wrote, the Astros should pursue Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe. One of Bowden’s readers proposed that the Astros trade outfielder Chas McCormick and one of two top prospects: catcher Walker Janek or infielder Brice Matthews. Bowden liked the idea, suggesting the Astros part ways with Janek, the 2024 No. 28 pick, if it means boosting their lineup with a two-time All-Star.

“It would be a steep price to pay for the often-injured Lowe,” Bowden wrote. “But the Astros can win the World Series this year, and that type of trade could put them over the top.”

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Astros may match up well in a trade for Brandon Lowe

Lowe entered Wednesday batting .272 with 19 homers, 50 RBI and a .811 OPS. He’s on pace for his most homers since blasting 39 back in 2021, though it’s worth noting that 12 of the long balls have come at Steinbrenner Field, a Minor League stadium with Minor League dimensions.

Any team that acquires Lowe would do so knowing he has an $11.5 million team option (with a $500,000 buyout) for 2026.

Meanwhile, Janek owns a .270 average, six homers, 16 stolen bases and 15 doubles at High-A Asheville. Although the 22-year-old occasionally played the infield in college, he’s exclusively caught and DH’d in the minors.

Between his aforementioned injury history and a troubling strikeout-to-walk (85 strikeouts against 24 walks) rate, Lowe certainly comes with risks. He didn’t play more than 109 games in the previous three seasons, which isn’t ideal for an Astros team with a rapidly shrinking championship window.

However, the Astros must consider taking that risk if given the opportunity. It’s better to gamble and attempt to capitalize before transitioning to the future rather than play it safe and ask what could have been. This is a righty-heavy team in need of left-handed balance, and Lowe would be an ideal fit for Daikin Park while allowing Altuve to remain in left field full time. The Rays, meanwhile, have been looking for a solution at catcher for years now, and have the depth to backfill Lowe while turning him into future value — in other words, the classic Tampa two-step.