Those who thought the Houston Astros were going to take a step back this season after they lost both Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman in the offseason were proven wrong in the first half, as their 56-40 record was good enough for them to be comfortably in first place in the AL West. If the regular season ended at the All-Star break, they'd receive a first-round bye. Given the injuries they've dealt with, their early-season success has been extremely impressive.
While the first half was a success, the team has more to do when it comes to winning the World Series. For the Astros to achieve that ultimate goal, GM Dana Brown is going to have to make some moves to address the holes on the team's roster.
It'd be nice to see Brown make several big-time moves, but the reality of the situation is he's likely going to have to prioritize certain needs over others, especially with a lackluster farm system at his disposal. With that in mind, here's a ranking of the Astros' trade deadline needs Brown must pay attention to.
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3) Outfielder
The Astros took a couple of major gambles in their outfield this season, using Jose Altuve and Cam Smith, two primary infielders, in the corner spots. Smith has proven to be a natural in right field, but Altuve's defense has left a lot to be desired. In an ideal world, the Astros will add another outfielder, ensuring that Altuve will play second base, a position he's more comfortable playing.
In addition to wanting to get Altuve out of left field, the Astros are dealing with a myriad of injuries, particularly with their outfielders. Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers, Jacob Melton and even Yordan Alvarez are all sidelined, forcing the Astros to play the likes of Kenedy Corona, Taylor Trammell and Cooper Hummell in the outfield. The Astros figure to get healthier sooner rather than later, but you simply never know.
It'd be nice if the Astros got an outfielder, but as mentioned above, their prospect capital is limited, and they have other, bigger needs to address.
2) Starting pitcher
The outfield is extremely banged up, but their starting pitching might be even more injured. The Astros have six starters on the IL currently, and it's anyone's best guess as to when any of them will return. At least a couple of them will not be back this season. The injuries have forced the rotation to look pretty unrecognizable.
Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown have been nothing short of incredible, but the rest of their rotation has lacked any sort of consistency. Lance McCullers Jr. is healthy now, but he's been inconsistent and is always a risk to land back on the IL at some point. Guys like Ryan Gusto, Colton Gordon and Brandon Walter are all rookies who have pitched fairly well, but they're not guys the Astros realistically want to hand the ball to in a postseason game.
The Astros obviously trust Valdez and Brown entirely, and can talk themselves into McCullers, but they need at least one more starter if they want to win the World Series. Hopefully, even if it's a rental, Brown can get an arm.
1) Left-handed hitter
As important as it is for the Astros to add a starting pitcher, it feels as if the need for a left-handed bat might be even greater. The Astros began this season entirely too right-handed. Yordan Alvarez was the only regular who could hit from the left side. Alvarez has been out for much of the season due to injury, making life incredibly difficult for the Astros. Obviously, they miss his production, but his left-handed bat added some balance to the lineup.
Unsurprisingly, Houston has dominated left-handed pitching. They're tied with the Yankees for first in the majors with a 122 WRC+ against left-handed pitching. Against righties, though, they rank 16th with a 102 WRC+. They're still an above-average offense against righties, but barely. They're elite against lefties, but far below that level against righties. With that discrepancy in mind, the Astros have had the second-most plate appearances against right-handed pitching and the fewest against lefties.
The Astros are the easiest team in the sport to game-plan against. The simple game plan is to avoid using left-handers who aren't elite at all costs. Adding a left-handed hitter would make life a lot tougher for opposing managers, especially if Alvarez can return as well.
This is, undoubtedly, the most pressing need on this Astros roster right now that Dana Brown must address.