Astros' Biggest Trade Deadline Need Is Becoming Painfully Obvious

Houston got a clear message during their weekend series against the Texas Rangers.

Houston Astros hat and ball glove | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Going into the All-Star break, the Houston Astros were looking to improve their chances of hanging around the American League playoff race. They had a three-game series in Arlington, Texas, against the first-place Rangers with a chance to maybe even climb into first place at the break.

Instead of seizing the moment, the Astros dropped two out of three, with the final game ending in a lot of frustration. After splitting the first two games, Houston had a chance to win the series on Sunday afternoon. They rallied with three runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game before taking the lead in the eighth inning. Just six outs away from a huge series win, Joe Espada's bullpen melted down and allowed one run in the eighth and ninth innings to be walked off, 6-5.

Rather than feeling good going into the break, the Astros must be thinking, "What if.''

They are now three games behind Texas in the American League West Division race and 1.5 games behind for the wild-card spot. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, in his latest weekly power rankings, sent a clear message to general manager Dana Brown with the trade deadline less than a month away.

Astros Get Clear Trade Deadline Message After Latest Bullpen Meltdown

Joe Espada | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just how important was Sunday's game? Espada brought in Bryan Abreu during the fifth inning, leaving the workload in the backend of the bullpen to Bryan King and Josh Hader. Neither was able to hold the lead or extend the game into extra innings. That leaves the bullpen as a growing, dire need in Houston.

"It looked as though Houston had turned a corner, going 10-4 in the second half of June to vault back onto the brink of the postseason picture," Miller wrote. "But the Astros blew a golden opportunity to enter the driver's seat in the AL West, twice collapsing late against the Rangers to instead lose some ground in that race. Upgrading the bullpen ahead of the deadline is growing more imperative by the day."

King allowed the game-tying run in the eighth before Hader allowed the game-winning run without recording an out. He allowed three hits in the bottom of the ninth to allow Texas to walk it off. It was Hader's 17th appearance of the season, and his ERA is 1.17 with 25 strikeouts, but it was bad timing for his first loss of the season.

Astros Have Some Tough Trade Deadline Decisions To Make

Dana Brown | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houston has multiple needs that need to be addressed at the trade deadline if Brown decides to buy. A left-handed hitting power outfielder is needed, as is another starting pitcher, and, clearly, bullpen help.

The problem that Brown and the rest of the league might be facing is just who is going to be available. The American League races are packed together right now because there just are not as many good teams as the National League has.

More teams are in the mix than would otherwise be looking to sell at the deadline. Teams like the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins would have players that other teams would covet, but are stuck in the middle of the race. The first couple of weeks after the break are going to determine a lot of teams' paths come August 3's trade deadline.