Houston Astros Prospect Named Player They ‘Should’ve Traded but Didn’t'

The Houston Astros could've done more at the trade deadline, including trading this right-handed pitcher.

Apr 21, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros did what they had to do at the trade deadline. It wasn't as impressive as many had hoped for, as Dana Brown was rumored to be interested in many of the top free agents on the market.

Unfortunately, many of the players he had shown interest in weren't even traded, making his situation more difficult than ever.

Factor in that the Astros' farm system is below average, and it made his decisions even tougher.

He did end up making a big trade for Yusei Kikuchi, which was one that got criticized around Major League Baseball for multiple reasons. Giving up the type of prospect they did in that trade was an interesting decision, but teams around baseball understood their situation.

They have a below-average farm system, their starting rotation has been killed by injuries all year, and they're in the mix of a postseason hunt. 

Brown had no choice but to go out and overpay for a pitcher. The Toronto Blue Jays front office did an excellent job throughout the entire deadline, but this deal certainly topped it off. 

More could've been done for Houston, but some teams might've not been interested in what they had to offer.

However, that didn't stop Zach Pressnell of FanSided from saying they should've traded right-handed pitching prospect Jose Fleury.

"The Astros are an all in type of team. Jose Fleury is still a few years away from the big leagues and the outlook on the Astros team will be very different by then. He has enough value that he could have grabbed Houston a solid starting pitcher alongside Yusei Kikuchi."

The 22-year-old has impressed for parts of his minor league career, but his numbers don't necessarily jump off the page. He's posted a 4.57 ERA in 41 1/3 innings pitched in 2024, striking out 42 in his workload.

It's safe to say that if there were a deal that Brown was interested in and he was the holdup on it, he likely would've pulled the trigger. Given that this team is in a win-now position more than nearly every other team in baseball, he's not going to prospect hug.

And at the end of the day, he must also be smart. If things don't work out during this season, he could have to make other moves in the offseason.

Having prospects to deal will make his job much easier than it would've been if he decided to trade them all last week.