3 Astros Who Aren’t As Safe As They Think As Trade Deadline Approaches

The 2024 trade deadline is shaping up to be a busy one for the Houston Astros. After a torrid stretch to finish the first half of the season, the Astros have overcome their terrible start to the season to reach a point where being buyers at the deadline makes sense. As for what their best moves might be? Well, that’s a tougher conundrum to solve.

Houston has a clear rotation need, given all the injuries the Astros are dealing with, but there are not enough attractive options on the trade market. Adding bullpen help is a prerequisite for most contenders, including the Astros, and there’s also a reasonable argument for improvements at first base and the outfield.

With all of these potentially moving parts, that means some players currently on the Astros’ major league roster are far from certain. Here are some of the Astros who could be on the sidelines after the trade deadline.

This pick may seem like a bit of a stretch, given the state of the Astros’ rotation. Houston has already lost Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier to season-ending injuries this year, and we still don’t know exactly how long Justin Verlander will be out. However, there are scenarios where Spencer Arrighetti could find himself back in the minor leagues (or even with a new team) once the dust settles.

The problem with Arrighetti is that he has minor league options and has been mediocre at best in the big leagues this year with a 5.63 ERA in the first half of the season. To be honest, the only reason he has stuck around this long is because the Astros haven’t really had any other options. However, if Verlander and Jake Bloss can come back and pitch well (with Luis Garcia thrown in for good measure) AND Houston adds a starting pitcher or two at the deadline, Arrighetti is the logical choice to be traded or even included in a trade package.

It would be pretty brutal for Singleton to be without a roster spot in Houston. Since the Astros parted ways with Jose Abreu, Singleton has been excellent at the plate and has helped give the team a much-needed boost. However, Singleton’s spot on Houston’s roster may be the most precarious of all.

The Astros have certainly liked Singleton’s recent run of success, but the fact remains that he’s not used to sustaining that production over a long period of time, and there could be better options out there, even if he’s still playing pretty well. Astros reporters are already talking about a potential trade to the Rays for Isaac Paredes or Yandy Diaz, and the team has openly flirted with a trade for Pete Alonso. This doesn’t sound like a team that believes in Singleton for the long term.

We hope you all find something to love as much as the Astros love giving Chas McCormick unwarranted playing time. Since returning from the disabled list in late May after a hamstring injury, McCormick is hitting .174/.209/.326 while starting 25 times in that span. If you’re wondering why Houston still refuses to give Joey Loperfido meaningful playing time, you can circle McCormick’s name in red ink.

However, Houston’s stubbornness in wanting to play McCormick has to have a limit, and the trade deadline is the natural time for a change to be made. If the Astros find a team that thinks McCormick could instantly become the 2023 version of himself again, trading him makes a lot of sense. Houston could also just… choose to start playing its best lineup every day, which would include Loperfido or maybe even Jacob Melton in McCormick’s place at this point.

Regardless, with McCormick being an offensive black hole, he’s reaching a breaking point, and the trade deadline could be when we finally see a change.

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