Could Houston Astros Actually Become Sellers at Trade Deadline?

If this brutal start continues, then the Houston Astros might have to do something unthinkable and start selling off some of their assets at the trade deadline.

Mar 30, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

It's only late-April, but things could not have gone worse for the Houston Astros than what has taken place so far this season.

They have had a rash of injuries that's forced them to use more pitchers than they did all of last year, their star players are not performing, and there are major questions about the viability of first-time manager Joe Espada.

Sitting at 7-18 entering Thursday's game, they look like a complete shell of themselves after being the most feared team in the American League for much of the past decade.

Astros fans looking for good news and a positive spin on things should know that Power Rankings Guru has Houston facing the second-easiest set of opponents the rest of the season.

Combine that with them getting Justin Verlander back in the rotation and their ace Framber Valdez scheduled to return soon, the only way to go is up for a team who has been a perennial contender for years.

However, what happens if things don't turn around?

If the Astros continue to struggle despite facing an easier schedule, they might have to do something unthinkable when they entered this season and start selling off some of their pieces.

That might not be popular, but it would be the smart thing to do.

Alex Bregman is a free agent after this year, and based on who his agent is and the history of how Houston has dealt with internal, high-priced free agents, he will be playing baseball for a new team in 2025.

Dealing him to a team looking for a star third baseman would be the best course of action.

Despite the early struggles of the 30-year-old that has seen him post a slash line of .202/.284/.262 with no homers and just six RBI, there's no doubt he'll still be a coveted player on the market and the Astros would get much-needed assets in return.

While they're at it, they might also see what they can get for other high-profile players like Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker.

Moving them isn't as urgent as finding a deal for Bregman if things continue to slide, since both Valdez and Tucker have another year of club control, but Houston was already reportedly shopping their ace in the offseason and there have been no extension talks with their star right fielder to date.

Based on the age and ceiling of Tucker, he might bring in the biggest return for the Astros.

Valdez is probably the least-likely to be dealt since Verlander is 41 years old and this rotation completely fell apart without him and the star lefty. Keeping the Cy Young contender leading this rotation after Verlander retires is the smart thing to do.

But for any of this to even happen, things would have to completely come off the rails.

If Houston keeps playing like this, that will happen, and the front office will have a tough decision to make this summer.