How the Astros can use the trade deadline to snatch the AL West crown in 4 easy steps

Against all odds, the Houston Astros have rallied back from as many as 11 games under .500 to within just two games of an even record. They’ve also gone from seemingly out of postseason contention to within just 2.5 games of first place in the AL West. They are in the thick of their divisional race, and considering how well they’ve been playing for over a month, it’d be fair to consider them favorites right now.

With that being said, as well as the Astros are playing, they’re not a team without flaws — and it’s hard to treat them as AL West favorites if Dana Brown does not address their weaknesses. The trade deadline is a perfect opportunity to assert their dominance by filling these roster holes.

Astros must acquire a frontline starter

First and foremost, the Astros must add to their rotation, and I think that should mean doing more than just adding a back-end arm. Houston needs someone they can rely on to start Game 2 of a playoff series given how their rotation is structured.

Hunter Brown is a one of the best pitchers in the American League when healthy, but who else do you trust? Tatsuya Imai has been remarkably inconsistent at best, Mike Burrows has been a massive disappointment and for as good as Spencer Arrighetti has been overall, he has a 7.55 ERA in his last six starts. Do you trust Peter Lambert? Do you trust Lance McCullers Jr. to suddenly be healthy and look like his former self? This rotation, while it’s been better than it was at the start of the year, is just not good enough as presently constructed.

Astros need starting pitching depth

Acquiring one frontline arm shouldn’t be all the Astros aim to accomplish on the rotation front, as depth is king. As Houston has learned the hard way over really the past couple of years, injuries to starting pitchers can pile up in the modern game. The Astros don’t have a single pitcher with enough innings to qualify for the ERA title right now. That’s partially because their rotation has been mostly bad, but it’s also partially because of injuries.

This doesn’t mean the Astros need to acquire a second frontline arm, but it’d really behoove them to add an established back-end starter. Adding quality depth to this rotation would make this team much tougher to beat, as they won’t need to rely on their bullpen quite as heavily (they’re seventh in bullpen innings pitched).

Astros should pursue a left-handed outfielder

Another issue the Astros have beyond their rotation is that their lineup is not only top-heavy but also righty-heavy. Yordan Alvarez is their only potent left-handed hitter, and their best outfielder is probably Cam Smith — who, while he’s an excellent defender, has a .673 OPS. The top of Houston’s lineup is dangerous with Jose Altuve, Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker and Jeremy Pena (when healthy) slotted in, but not a single one of these players is an outfielder, and four of those five players are right-handed.

Being so unbalanced makes the Astros easier to pitch to than they should be. Adding a left-handed outfielder who can hit a bit would make this lineup deeper and scarier, and that’s all you can ask for. As good as Alvarez is, he cannot do everything all by himself.

A right-handed leverage reliever would make the Astros’ bullpen dangerous

With Josh Hader now back from the IL, the Astros have one of the best closers in the game, and Bryan King has emerged as a reliable late-game arm. The same can be said about Steven Okert, their leader in appearances on the season. The problem, though, is that all three of these relievers are left-handed, and Okert, in particular, is far less effective against right-handed hitters. Houston doesn’t have any truly reliable right-handed relievers at present.

Bryan Abreu used to fill that role, but while he’s been much better of late, he hasn’t been used much in high-leverage situations after a disastrous start to the season in which he could not throw strikes with any sort of consistency. I’m not sure he can be trusted at all as the primary late-game righty, with his command woes in mind. AJ Blubaugh has been a pleasant surprise, but he, too, isn’t really a leverage arm. And there isn’t another right-handed reliever worth trusting.

If the Astros can add an impactful righty to pitch late in games alongside Hader, King and Okert, good luck scoring late, especially if Abreu continues to pitch well and if Joe Espada plays the matchups well.

More MLB news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow