Houston Astros Willing to Trade MLB Talent at Uncertain Deadline

One week away from the MLB Trade Deadline on August 1st, the Houston Astros have been vocal about how they're looking to upgrade their roster.

General Manager Dana Brown made it clear they're looking to add both starting pitching and bullpen help before the deadline.

Entering Monday, the Astros trail the Texas Rangers by three games ahead of their series. It will be a good litmus test for both teams to see how they match up against each other and see what help they need to win the division.

However, there are questions about what exactly Houston will do to acquire their upgrades.

Despite Brown making it clear what positions they're looking to buy, this is his first year operating at the deadline as the general manager. He has no tendencies or past actions to look back upon and figure out how he'll go about this process.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic noted in his Astros Mailbag column, that the owner Jim Crane could also play a big role in the team's decisions as well.

"Crane is aggressive and much of the team’s deadline action could be contingent on how realistic he views this team’s chance at defending its World Series championship," Rome wrote.

The owner was the reason Houston acquired Justin Verlander and Zach Greinke in previous years and also vetoed a trade at the deadline last season.

Rome also noted at that Brown plans on using his current Major League roster of players to buy the pitching help they want.

The GM told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic last month, "If we could move an outfield piece for something that could fill another need, we probably would be interested in doing that."

The Astros have been linked to multiple pitchers, including an All-Star from the Detroit Tigers and the ace of the Chicago Cubs.

There is a clear plan on what Houston wants to do at the deadline, but under their first year general manager it's to be seen if they can execute that plan.