Top Insider Tabs Orioles' Cedric Mullins as Best Astros Trade Deadline Fit

The July 31 MLB trade deadline is just about a week away, and the Houston Astros are poised to be buyers once again as the team sits atop the American League West division.

Despite an absolutely brutal run of injuries starting pitchers, key bats and relievers alike, the Astros continue to find ways to win games, running their record to 60-42 as of July 24 with a five-game lead in the division over the Seattle Mariners.

General manager Dana Brown and the front office will look to make impactful additions that will maximize the team's World Series odds without having blue-chip prospects available to part with.

More News: Astros Can Bolster Rotation Depth By Acquiring Available Cardinals Star

That will mean looking past the first tier of available players, perhaps at a veteran like Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, who ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan listed as the best fit on the market for the Astros in his latest deadline preview.

"Mullins -- who, since a scorching April, has hit .184/.230/.342 -- is more of a complementary upgrade than a game changer," Passan wrote. "Then again, like so many others, he could get to Houston and suddenly be the best version of himself."

Mullins, a North Carolina native, has a career slash line of .248/.317/.422, but he's down in all three metrics this season, and he's been worth -0.5 bWAR after being more valuable than at least 2.0 in every season since 2020.

He makes sense for the Astros regardless, as the AL West leaders have been crushed by injuries all season long. They've been able to thrive anyway, but the need for a Big League caliber left-handed bat in Space City is a strong one.

More News: Astros Named Team To Watch for Veteran Starting Pitcher

Like Passan notes, Mullins is not quite the prize he would have been at earlier stages in his career, and so he likely would not return a top-flight package to the Orioles.

That would allow the Astros to make a competitive offer, as they do not have the sort of prospect capital required to shop at the highest tiers of this year's market.

Whether it's Mullins or another player, Houston is in desperate need of both proven Major League hitting and left-handed bats.

Jake Meyers has played well when healthy this season, but he's a righty, and the team's other regular outfielders include fellow righties and natural infielders Jose Altuve and Cam Smith.

More News: Does This Trade Package To Land Much-Needed Slugger Make Sense for Astros?

Acquiring Mullins would provide a defensive boost to the outfield while also making the club less susceptible to being handled by the dominant right-handed starters that teams see in October.

For more Astros news, head over to Astros On SI.