Houston Astros Have ‘Perfect’ Trade Fit, but Below-Average Farm System an Issue
The Houston Astros have surged in recent weeks, going 9-1 over their last 10 games. Only 3.0 games out of first place in the American League West, the Astros are in an excellent position to win the division despite how poorly the year started.
It's a true indication of the type of ball club this is. While nothing went as planned from injuries, coaching changes, and bad play, Houston bounced back, just as they have time and time again over much of the past decade.
Dana Brown said multiple times that he didn't plan on selling, but with the way this team has played over the past month, it's all but confirmed that they'll be buyers.
There's one issue, however. The Astros farm system isn't the best, so trying to make a blockbuster trade for an elite-level player would be extremely tough.
It's a buyers market due to the third Wild Card spot, which means that there will be more teams looking to buy than usual.
David Schoenfield of ESPN listed trade targets for each team, listing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for Houston. Guerrero has been a rumored target over the last few weeks, but Schoenfield isn't certain that they have enough to get a deal done.
"The Astros are the perfect fit when it comes to need: They're last in the majors in OPS at first base and Jonathan Singleton isn't proving to be the answer to replace the released Jose Abreu. The Astros have also surged from a 10-game deficit to put some pressure on Seattle in the AL West race.
"Their problem is they have one of the weakest farm systems in the majors. Outfielder Jacob Melton did rank No. 39 on Kiley's May update, but his numbers at Double-A aren't anything special. Brice Matthews, the team's first-round pick last year, has reached Double-A and looks interesting."
Never say never, but the Astros are lacking in that department.
In the event that they have enough to land the three-time All-Star, it'd be the best possible addition they could make to this lineup. First base has been an issue all season, and landing a hitter with a .297/.375/.471 slash line would fix that.
Guerrero has hit 13 home runs this year and at least 26 in each of the past three campaigns.
He has flaws as a defender, but with the way he swings the bat, those flaws don't hurt too much.
JON CONAHAN
Jon Conahan has been covering all major sports since 2019. He is a 2022 graduate of the Bellisario School of Journalism at Penn State University and previously played D1 baseball.