Astros star deemed most likely to be traded by MLB executives

What a disastrous start it's been to the 2024 season for the Houston Astros. They won their game on Friday night against the Detroit Tigers to improve to 14-24 on the season. Yes, they improved to ten games under .500. That record gives them the third-worst mark in the American League and a bottom-five record in all of baseball.

There's still plenty of time for Houston to turn things around, but the odds are certainly stacked against them. Not only are they seven games back in a tough AL West, but they're nine games out of a Wild Card spot with several teams to jump.

Houston doesn't want to think about the idea of selling at the MLB trade deadline, but eventually, if this ship doesn't get steered in the right direction, GM Dana Brown will have no choice but to do just that.

MLB executives certainly think that the Astros selling is a very realistic possibility as Astros star Alex Bregman was deemed most likely to be moved in a recent poll conducted by MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand.

Alex Bregman deemed most likely to be traded at deadline

Bregman received five of the 24 votes while no other player received more than three. That's saying something.

If the Astros do decide to sell, Bregman makes a whole lot of sense as a trade candidate. He's in his final year of team control, and will be seeking a monster contract over the offseason. With key players like Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, and Ryan Pressly set to hit free agency either this upcoming offseason or next, perhaps trading Bregman for a nice return and focusing on extending some of those other players is the route they'll choose.

The problem is, the way Bregman is playing, how many teams would be willing to trade for him? Bregman enters play on Saturday slashing .200/.273/.267 with one home run and 12 RBI. That's right, one home run in 35 games played and 150 plate appearances for a guy who has hit as many as 41 in a single season. He hit 25 just last season. He's looked completely lost.

Will teams be willing to meet a high asking price for an expiring player who has done nothing this season? He does have a postseason track record, but that can only mean so much.

If the Astros do sell, Bregman is almost certainly going to get dealt. They'd be foolish to keep him around without an extension. However, if offers aren't good enough, perhaps that'll give the Astros the motivation to refuse to sell and try and win now. If the Astros continue to struggle, it'll be interesting to see their direction in the coming months.