The Astros have been a championship team for many years. They have the players to compete now. Any player could be replaced via trade or internally, but it would not necessarily improve the team. The 26 man roster is made up primarily of the players the team wants to go into the playoffs with. The 13 position players on the current roster include - 1 Walker, playoff 1st baseman. 2 Pena, playoff SS. 3 Parades, playoff 3rd baseman. 4 Diaz, playoff starting catcher. 5 Caratini, playoff bench catcher. 6 Smith, playoff right fielder. 7 Meyers, playoff center fielder. 8 Altuve, current 2nd baseman & left fielder who is best suited for designated hitter. Probable playoff bat with no defensive value. 9 Salazar, current bench bat and third catcher who is playing right where he belongs in the playoffs. 10 Dubon, currently playing at 2nd base. Best suited for play as a bench infielder and is likely for that spot on the playoff roster. 11 Guilliorme, current bench infielder/bat that is possible for that spot on the playoff roster. 12 Whitcomb, current bench bat who is unlikely for a spot on the playoff roster. 13 Hummell, current bench bat who is unlikely for a spot on the playoff roster. Currently injured players potentially on the playoff roster. 1 Alvarez, currently injured player and likely left fielder on the playoff roster. 2 Melton, currently injured player and potential fourth outfielder on the playoff roster. 3 McCormick, currently injured player and potential fourth outfielder on the playoff roster. 4 Dezenzo, currently injured player and potential fourth outfielder on the playoff roster. 5 Rodgers, currently injured player who is unlikely for a spot on the playoff roster. Current minor league players potentially on the playoff roster. 1 Mathews likely 2nd baseman on the playoff roster. 2 Trammell, possible 4th outfielder on the playoff roster 3 Corona, unlikely for a spot on the playoff roster. I think I got everybody but if I missed someone please let me know. I do not think outside position player acquisitions are necessary for the 2025 playoffs.
I have been thinking more that Houston might be wise to avoid the SP market and instead pivot to targeting another RP (in addition to a LH bat). This is because of how many quality injured SP they have slated to return in July/August (McCullers, Javier, Arrighetti, Garcia) and how well Brandon Walter has pitched. If they target a RP, here’s the list I would work from to start: Jeff Hoffman Pete Fairbanks Caleb Ferguson Jake Bird Emilio Pagan Gregory Soto Dennis Santana Yimi Garcia Adding another elite RP would give Houston a 7 deep pen which with the additional off days would mean they could make a Game 3 or Game 4 of each playoff series a bullpen game. That effectively fill the hole in the playoff rotation for a much lower cost. King/Abreu/Hader could handle the 7-8-9 for every playoff game. Framber and Brown have innings 1-6 of Games 1/2/5/6. Game 3/7: TBD 1-2 Sousa 3 Dubin 4-5 Okert 6 Game 4 would be 4 innings from whoever is pitching the best out of McCullers, Arrighetti, Javier, Walter, or Garcia, with Dubin/Okert/TBD covering the 5th and 6th.
The only problem with "bullpen game" is that every guy out of the bullpen has to be on point over an inning or two. A good SP is the only guy who has to be on point for several innings. I'm not against what you're saying, I'm just saying that the more pitchers you throw out, the higher the odds that one will implode
I'm not disagreeing. In addition, RP is much cheaper than SP. But in the interest of research, if the goal is to become 7 deep in the bullpen, how deep are they now? Hader Abreu King Okert Sousa Dubin Ort Hernandez Contreras Robertson VanWey I don't think there is any question that the top 6 are set. Ort as #7 is pretty replaceable but clearly at a level above those below him. Also, Ullola could be a weapon, like 2022 Hunter Brown. If injured starters return. Would guys like Walter, Gordon, or Gusto move to the bullpen, or start in AAA? If they stay in Houston's bullpen, how many of those possible trade pieces are enough of an improvement, in an important enough role to give up prospect capital for them?
Houston’s bullpen is 6 deep and there’s not much argument otherwise. Ort hasn’t pitched well. Prospects like Ullola or Blubaugh or Knorr could come up and break out but for now are unproven. McCullers or Javier or Garcia could be effective playoff RP but they’re all hurt with uncertain timelines. I don’t see Walter or Gordon as fits for the playoff bullpen, at least not in any meaningful role; they either pitch well enough to be a game 3/4 starter or they should be relegated to the fringe of the roster. Gusto could slide down and be effective as a 2 inning RP. Obviously it depends on the cost and it would vary among the guys I listed. I expect Ullola to be traded as he currently stands out as one of Houston’s only healthy, highly valued, tradeable assets. But if they don’t trade him and if they don’t add to the bullpen from outside he’d be a candidate to come up in August in an attempt to establish him as a 7th high performing RP.
I think the Astros have 1 bullet (and its a 22) for the trade deadline. Do they use it on a Caleb Ferguson type of trade when the bullpen is the deepest, best part of the current team? Or do they try and get a bench/platoon bat? Or do they come to realize they are just good enough as they are, that any real improvement is too costly? I'm seriously scared the last one is the reality.
They will not stand pat if they have a 5+ game lead in the division. 0% chance. They will do something. Following where the market leads and strengthening a strength is an underrated strategy imo. Getting a bat like Gavin Lux and a badass rental RP like Gregory Soto is totally doable with the assets Houston can more than afford to part with (Blubaugh, Pecko, Fleury, Whitcomb, Dezenzo, Baez, Sullivan, etc.).
Of course. Every pitching prospect Houston has ever traded away “could have been really good some day for the Astros”. None of those guys I listed are any better prospects than JB Bukauskas or Corbin Martin or Franklin Perez or Tom Eshelman or Chayce McDermott or Albert Abreu or Jorge Alcala or Adrian Houser or Nick Tropeano or Trent Thornton or… I trust this front office to know which ones to let go of. Ullola, Brito, Pecko, and Mayer would be the guys I would try really hard to hang onto (I have come off of Blubaugh quite a bit), but I don’t know much about pitching prospects.
We've traded a few position players that I'd regret, but I'm struggling to think of a pitcher I'd want back
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-trade-deadline-2025-trade-candidates-on-playoff-bubble-teams Astros get: 2B Nolan Gorman SP Steven Matz RP Ryan Helsley $7M Cardinals get: 2B Brice Matthews P Colton Gordon P AJ Blubaugh P Michael Knorr Playoff roster: SS Pena 3B Paredes DH Alvarez LF Altuve RF Smith 1B Walker 2B Gorman C Diaz CF Meyers Bench: Dubon, Caratini, Melton, Salazar SP: Framber, Brown, Matz, McCullers RP: Hader, Abreu, Helsley, King, Dubin, Okert, Sousa, Javier, Arrighetti Astros come away with an absolutely stacked roster and stay under the CBT. They solve 2B for the next 4 years. Main question is would this be enough for St. Louis; I considered having Arrighetti or Ullola in there instead of Gordon. But still, getting a fairly proven #4 SP for 6 years in Gordon has a lot of value, and at this point Matthews is a firm Top 100 prospect. Blubaugh and Knorr are meaningful additions to the package, as both are org top 20 prospects and both are near mlb ready. That is a roster more than capable of winning the World Series.
I mean- that’s fair. I suppose if the Astros trade them they have more knowledge than anyone and they are pretty astute about who they hold onto and who they don’t.
Matz isn't a starter anymore. From MLB. Com article "Given all of those factors, the Cardinals’ most intriguing trade candidate is arguably Matz, who is in the final year of a four-year, $44 million deal. Initially signed to be a starter, Matz dealt with injuries and had a 4.47 ERA in 197 1/3 innings during the first three years of his deal. However, he has found new life as a multi-inning reliever in 2025, posting a 2.66 ERA with a 1.89 FIP, 38 strikeouts and four walks over 40 2/3 innings. That could make him a coveted option for clubs seeking bullpen help, though the Cardinals will likely have to eat some money to get back a notable return."
