An early Astros trade deadline deal to blow the Mariners out of the water

Over the last month, the Houston Astros have completely closed the gap on the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. It's been the perfect mixture of the Mariners collapsing and the Astros going on an incredible tear.

With the trade deadline coming up, Houston could look to absolutely bury the Mariners if they have a successful deadline.

One place that Houston could look to add an intriguing option is at first base. The Astros first base situation has been questionable at best, with the mediocre Jon Singleton emerging as the starter.

While the Astros may not be able to add a high end slugger like Pete Alonso, Vlad Guerrero Jr., or Christian Walker, they may be able to add Tampa Bay Rays Silver Slugger, Yandy Diaz.

According to MLB insider, Jon Morosi, the Rays are open to offers for their infielder.

(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)

An Astros-Rays trade that buries the Mariners deeper in the AL West

Diaz, 32, has two additional years of team control left on his contract. The Rays infielder his .330 last season and is slashing .273/.329/.396 this year with 30 extra base hits. He would be a clear upgrade over what the Astros are putting out at first base right now and since he's available, they would be foolish to not make a serious attempt at him.

The Astros wouldn't have to cough up any top prospects in this deal as they would be taking on the entirety of Diaz's remaining contract. Being able to move a good chunk of money off the books is a plus in the eyes of the Tampa Bay front office.

Still, the Astros would need to send a few top 15 prospects in their farm system to the Rays for their controllable infielder.

Colton Gordon is an older, developed left handed pitcher that has looked impressive at times this season. He's knocking on the door of a big-league career thanks to his impressive size and command. He's a top ten Astros prospect for a good reason.

Wagner, 25, is also on the older end of the prospect spectrum, but he makes up for it by being an incredibly polished prospect. He's slashing .309/.426/.439 in Triple-A on the year and they can't keep him down there forever. He would likely be called up to the big leagues in Tampa.

The Astros need a first baseman and Diaz is the guy to go after. They may need to throw in another top 15 prospect, but the Rays should value getting off millions of dollars worth of contract too.