© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
How the Houston Astros Could Dethrone Yankees for Best Record in MLB
Just in case you've been living under a rock: the Houston Astros are a good baseball team.
At 54-28, they currently lead the second-place Seattle Mariners in the American League West by a whopping 13.5 games. The sky is truly the limit.
The only team that stands in their way of possessing the best record in Major League Baseball are the New York Yankees, who are 60-23, good for a .720 winning percentage.
In the season series between the two teams, however, Houston has the edge over New York. They're 3-2 against them, and even no-hit them on June 25. Cristian Javier tossed seven scoreless innings, and Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly finished the job, while Yanks' ace Gerrit Cole suffered the loss.
They will face each other two more times before regular season's end, but as the two of the best teams in baseball, they're likely to meet again in October.
Since 2015, they've met in the postseason three times (2015, 2017, 2019), and the Astros have come out victorious in each.
Alex Bregman celebrates with teammates after the Astros defeated the Yankees at Minute Maid Park.
© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
It's no secret that the Yankees and Astros are both stacked with talent, with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton leading the way for New York, and Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez for Houston.
The Astros boast a top-five offense and one of the best pitching staffs in the sport. However, even the best teams in the game seek out upgrades at the trade deadline. A successful deadline could be what separates the two powerhouses down the stretch and into the playoffs.
Two of the biggest needs for the Astros are a better offensive option at backup catcher and a first baseman.
35-year-old catcher Martin Maldonado, while solid defensively behind the plate, has hit just .151/.219/.302 on the year. Someone of interest to the Astros who is likely to be on the trade block is Willson Contreras.
With the Chicago Cubs set to be sellers at the deadline, Contreras would be a perfect fit for Houston and give them the production they've been searching for at backstop. Contreras has batted .280/.398/.508 with 13 home runs and 35 RBI in 2022.
A potential target for first base is Baltimore Orioles' Trey Mancini. Although, Mancini is rumored to be pursued by many teams in the coming weeks, including the Yankees. The 30-year-old is slashing .279/.355/.428 with eight home runs and 31 RBI this season.
Yuli Gurriel has struggled this year, and hasn't been contributing the way Houston would like him to. He boasts just a .672 OPS through 291 plate appearances. Mancini, who's spent his entire career in Baltimore, may benefit from playing for a contender, and be just what the 'Stros ordered to aid them to an AL crown.
It's been rumored that the Yanks are looking to shop power hitter Joey Gallo, but they'd have to include more than just the slugger in a deal for someone like Mancini, who can also play outfield. Gallo is batting just .167, alongside a .621 OPS, 10 home runs, and 19 RBI, easily the worst offensive output of his career.
Therefore, the Astros just might have more to offer this deadline in order to secure what they need to once again dethrone the Yankees as the American League champions.
Make sure to follow Inside the Astros on Twitter @InsideAstrosSI!
