Should the Houston Astros Buy or Sell? The Case Is Becoming Clear

It would have been hard to blame anyone for giving up on the Houston Astros in April, even though it was way too early in the season to do so.

Back then it seemed like every starting pitcher was on the injury list, even though there were only five. Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker were the only consistent hitters in the lineup. General manager Dana Brown preached patience with the fan base.

Yes, pitcher Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai and Cristian Javier were all on the injured list, along with Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski. But they would all come back at some point and so long as the Astros could stay in a tepid AL West race, they still had a chance to win the division.

On Friday night, Houston's patience was rewarded.

The Astros blasted the Texas Rangers, 11-2. It was the first game of a three-game series between the top two teams in the division. With the win, the Astros moved into first place in the AL West and above-.500 for the first time since early April.

With the trade deadline on Monday and the opportunity to compete for a division title, the path for Houston is clear at the deadline. It's time to buy.

Houston Astros Should Buy at Trade Deadline

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown walks onto the field. — Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Incredibly, all five of those pictures are back on the staff. Some are in the starting rotation while some are in the bullpen. Houston has so much pitching that they were able to trade Lance McCullers Jr. to Milwaukee as an opportunity to get his salary off their books.

For the first time since the start of the season, the Astros have too much pitching. That's never a problem.

This largesse of starting pitching allows the Astros to be targeted with what they go after at the deadline. Houston could use bullpen help. Getting Josh Hader back as the closer in June allowed the Astros to arrange their bullpen the way they wanted to from the start of the season. But one more back-end arm to help set up the ninth for Hader would be a good use of the deadline.

As other teams are proving, Houston doesn't have to pay a lot in prospect to get something that fits what they need.

As for the lineup, yes, Houston still needs that left-handed hitting outfielder. There are options on the market. None of them are earth shattering, but Houston's lineup is built up to the point where it doesn't need to be a huge move. It just needs to be the right one. Brown can make that move without having to give up too much.

The time is now for the Astros to strike. The team has given Brown every reason to buy. Now it’s about finding the right piece — or pieces — to reinforce Houston for a stretch run.

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