MLB Insider Wonders if Houston Astros Can Be ‘All In’ at Deadline

The Houston Astros are back at the top of the AL West but one insider questions how much the team can do at the deadline.

Jun 14, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown speaks to reporters in the dugout prior to a game against the Washington Nationals at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros just did something that only one other team has done in Major League history, and it certainly enhances their chances of winning the American League West.

On June 18 the Astros were 33-40 and were 10 games out of first place. In the span of 24 games the Astros moved into first place in the division. According to OptaStats, the Astros were the second team in MLB history to go from being at least five games under .500 and 10 games back to being in first place in fewer than 25 games.

The other team? The so-called “Miracle Braves” of 1914. That was back when the Braves were in Boston. That team ultimately finished 94-59-5, won the NL Pennant and beat the Philadelphia Athletics in a four-game World Series sweep.

That should position the Astros well for the trade deadline, right? General manager Dana Brown has indicated the team is going to buy when the deadline comes up on July 30.

The question, one MLB writer asks is just how “all in” can the Astros go?

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale posed the question in his Sunday notes piece. Nightengale agrees that Houston needs reinforcements, but he wonders if the Astros have the capital needed to pay the cost? As he wrote:

Astros GM Dana Brown vows they will be aggressive, yet with a weak farm system, and up against the luxury tax, can they really afford anyone besides a cheap rental?

There is no question the Astros are beat up, especially when it comes to starting pitching. Veteran Justin Verlander is still trying to work his way back from neck stiffness. Luis Garcia is set to resume rehab in his Tommy John recovery, but the Astros won’t rush him. Lance McCullers Jr. is still working back from his surgery last year.

Plus, three starters went on the injured list last month and are out for the season — Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier both had Tommy John surgery, while J.P. France had shoulder surgery.

So, yes, the Astros need starting pitching rather desperately.

But, to Nightengale’s point, the Astros’ farm system is considered among the weakest in baseball. ESPN, Baseball America and The Athletic have the Astros ranked close to the bottom of baseball. In some rankings the Astros don’t even have a Top 100 prospect.

It isn’t that the Astros aren’t willing to deal. It’s whether they have the players needed to swing the kind of deal that can make an impact — and how much that trade will further damage a farm system that is not producing talent at a fast enough to replace what’s been traded?

That’s the question the Astros will have to answer to determine whether they can be “all in” at the deadline.