Houston Astros ‘Have About a Month to Right the Ship, or Else’

The Houston Astros could end up making big changes if they don't improve in the next month.

Jun 11, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Mauricio Dubón (14) celebrates with outfielder Yordan Alvarez (44) after scoring a run during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

The struggling Houston Astros desperately need to go on a stretch over the next few weeks to keep them in contention. They're still right in the mix to at least land a postseason bid, currently 7.5 games out in the American League West and 4.5 out of a Wild Card spot.

31-37 on the season, it's been a strange season, to say the least.

If things don't change for the Astros before the trade deadline, the front office will be in an interesting position. Dana Brown has made it known that he doesn't plan to sell, but things can always change.

With Alex Bregman hitting free agency at the end of the year, Houston could plan to move him. It'd be tough to watch one of the best players in franchise history get dealt, but Bregman has struggled this season, and there's a chance they'll lose him in free agency.

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN wrote about what all 30 MLB teams have to do before the deadline, writing they "have a month to right the ship."

"Simply put, the Astros have about a month to right the ship, or else there will be little choice but to shuffle a roster that is aging in several spots.

"Houston stopped its early slide but has never really gotten hot, and only the mediocrity of its division to date has prevented the Astros from being buried."

There are a few factors to them getting hot like Doolittle alludes to. Injuries have been a clear issue all season, especially on the mound. That doesn't look to be getting much better in the near future, so perhaps a move or two is made to help with that issue.

This lineup has been one of the best in baseball during the past few seasons. While it hasn't been as dominant as it once was, there's certainly a scenario where they start swinging it the way everyone knows they can.

The issue, however, is that nearly 70 games into the season, they haven't proven they can do that. At some point, this might just be who the Astros are this year.

"But we need to see it, and soon, because the Astros haven't looked this lifeless for so long since before their current window of contention opened nearly a decade ago," Doolittle wrote.

If this core wants to stay together, they must start playing like it before the July trade deadline.