MLB insider pours cold water on potential Astros fire sale despite their long playoff odds

The Houston Astros have dominated the AL West, the American League, and quite frankly, all of Major League Baseball for the last decade. But 2024 hasn't been much of the same for Houston.

The Astros have struggled this year, much more than they're used to struggling in this era of their organization. It's led many to speculate that they may enter a fire sale, trading players like Ryan Pressly and Alex Bregman. The question of whether to trade AL MVP candidate Kyle Tucker has been posed.

Would the 2024 Houston Astros really enter this kind of fire sale while they're 6.5 games back in the AL Wild Card, though?

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal doesn't think so and he has strong beliefs on the subject.

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal strongly believes the Astros won't be selling this trade deadline season

"They are not going to give up easily, if at all," Rosenthal said during his weekly appearance on Foul Territory. "Under Jim Crane, that is not how he rolls. And I can't even really imagine them going in that direction[selling]."

The Astros have an incredibly talented team that believes in themselves quite heavily. The management believes in them, the fanbase believes in them and the players believe in each other. Rebuilding just isn't in their blood. It's not how this era of the Astros roll.

Players like Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker play pivotal roles for the Astros. Tucker, an MVP candidate, is slashing .272/.404/.605 with 18 bombs and more walks than strikeouts. There is no shot in the world that Houston would move him, in a non-contract year, playing the way that he is. That's blasphemous.

As for Bregman, he has given the city of Houston blood, sweat and tears during his big league career. He still contributes at a high level and is needed on the team to win the next World Series. Houston won't be quick to ship him away just because he's in a contract year. He's earned the respect within the organization.

Houston won't give up hope very easily, as they still have an incredibly talented team with players who have a ton of playoff experience. No matter the record, on paper, when October rolls around, nobody wants to see the Houston Astros on their schedule.