3 Astros trade packages working together to overtake Mariners in AL West

The Houston Astros are in one of the most interesting spots in the big leagues. As of today, Baseball Reference gives the Astros a 33 percent chance to make the playoffs. Still, they sit five games out of a wild card spot and seven games out of the AL West.

Even though they've struggled this year, they sit in the perfect spot to become aggressive buyers at the deadline in an attempt to push themselves back into the playoff picture. Houston isn't the type of organization that's going to roll over and give up at any point in time. They're going to go all in and try to make a World Series push, if it's at all possible.

Here's how they could turn their season around in three trades.

An Astros-Cardinals trade that fixes Houston's first base problem

The Astros have a hole at first base, created by the horrible experience of Jose Abreu in Houston. With this massive void in their lineup, the Astros will need to look at every possible first baseman they can on the trade market. This starts in St. Louis.

If the Cardinals fall out of playoff contention, this is how Houston could acquire their former MVP first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt.

Blubaugh, Houston's seventh-ranked prospect, has been incredible in Triple-A this season. Not only does he have a promising future, but he could be an impactful big leaguer in the very near future. Blubaugh is exactly what the Cardinals would want in a pitching prospect. He's a polished, MLB ready young arm.

Barber, Houston's 19th-ranked prospect, is a well-rounded prospect that doesn't specialize in anything on the baseball field. This well-rounded aspect of his game makes him quite the high floor prospect, but limits his ceiling because of his lack of standout ability.

The Astros would be much better with Goldschmidt manning first base in their lineup. Goldschmidt struggled to begin the season, but he's hitting .268 with seven homers and 18 RBI since May 11. He's turned his season around and if the Cardinals fall out of contention, he would be a huge addition to the Astros playoff push.

A massive Astros-White Sox trade for Chicago's young ace

The White Sox have emerged as the biggest sellers of this upcoming trade deadline. Their two best players, Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet are likely to be available at the deadline.

The Astros could use both players, obviously, but today, we'll look into a deal for Crochet. They need starting pitching and Crochet would be the young, controllable player that they could risk emptying their farm for.

A deal for Crochet would be expensive, costing Houston their 4th, 6th, and 13th ranked prospects, per MLB Pipeline, in this hypothetical.

Dezenzo, 24, is a tremendously talented infield prospect, making him the perfect player to headline this deal. He's slashed .301/.379/.511 in his professional career, quickly putting to bed any doubts about his bat.

Cole, 23, projects as one of the best fielding prospects in the entire minor leagues. He has all the makings of a future Gold Glove outfielder because of his plus fielding, plus speed and tremendous arm. If he can continue to develop the bat, alongside his 55 grade power, he could be a tremendous big leaguer soon.

Kouba, 24, is the definition of a high floor, low ceiling prospect. He's much different than many 21st century prospects, relying on command instead of velocity. He was good in his first three professional seasons but has struggled a bit this year.

If Houston can get their hands on Crochet, they need to. Chicago may demand more than this in a deal, but if this trade is close, Houston needs to go all in to get him. The best-case scenario in acquiring Crochet is that he leads the Astros to the playoffs this year. The worst case is Houston misses the playoffs and Crochet is still under contract until 2027.

An Astros-Marlins trade to bolster Houston's bullpen

The final trade for the Astros works to build their bullpen up. As a whole, their bullpen has struggled and they could really use another high leverage reliever to act as a setup man for Josh Hader.

The Marlins are almost certain to deal their closer, Tanner Scott, before the deadline.

A deal for Scott would be a cheap one. The Marlins hold almost zero leverage in this negotiation, with their only leg up being other teams' interest in Scott. With that said, a backend top 30 pitching prospect should get the deal done, with the Astros having to reach up their rankings depending on the league's interest in the Marlins closer.

Ullola, Houston's 20th-ranked prospect, has one of the highest ceilings in the Astros system. He has a tremendously high ceiling, but also a tremendously low floor. His fastball and stuff are both electric, but his command is horrible at times. When he's in the zone, he's dominant, but that's not always the case. He's walked more batters than he's allowed hits in 2024, though he still holds an impressive 4.66 ERA across 65.2 innings.

Scott holds a 1.69 ERA in 32 innings this year. He's converted eight saves and has looked very consistent and reliable during the season. He would be a big upgrade to the backend of Astros games.