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These 5 Houston Astros will be gone by the MLB trade deadline
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- These 5 Houston Astros will be gone by the MLB trade deadline
Houston Astros v Tampa Bay Rays | Kevin Sabitus/GettyImages
The Houston Astros are a disaster. A loss on Monday dropped them to 14-22 on the year, the second-worst record in the American League and tied for the third-worst record in the majors. Yordan Alvarez is having an MVP-caliber season and Christian Walker has bounced back following a down year, but the rest of Houston's lineup leaves much to be desired, and virtually their entire pitching staff is either hurt or struggling.
They've gone from a team that was a near lock to make it to the ALCS at a minimum every single year to one staring directly at a second straight postseason-less season in the blink of an eye . Odds are, they'll be out of the postseason race by July's trade deadline unless something miraculous happens, and that'll lead to these five players departing by that date.
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RHP Bryan Abreu
Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
For several years, Bryan Abreu was perhaps the most dominant setup man in the American League. Here are his ranks among all qualified AL relievers from 2022 through 2025.
| Statistic |
Bryan Abreu 2022-2025 |
MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Games |
288 |
2nd |
| Innings |
294 |
1st |
| Holds |
97 |
1st |
| ERA |
2.60 |
12th |
| K% |
34.1% |
7th |
| fWAR |
5.5 |
5th |
By virtually every metric, Abreu was not only used often, but dominant when he took the mound. Unfortunately, that version of the right-hander has been nowhere to be found in 2026. The 29-year-old has a 9.49 ERA in 13 appearances and even with Josh Hader sidelined, he's been taken out of high-leverage situations. Alarmingly, his four-seamer is down by over 2.0 MPH
Trading him by the deadline feels like a mistake because they'd be selling him at his lowest value, but what choice do they have? Abreu is a free agent after the year, and based on how he's pitched, do the Astros really want to extend him? It feels like either things will get better with Abreu and the Astros will be able to trade him based on his track record for something , or he'll continue to struggle and the Astros will have to cut bait at some point, knowing he's gone after the year anyway.
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Regardless of whether he's traded or just cut, Abreu's time in Houston is running out.
C Christian Vazquez
Houston Astros catcher Christian Vazquez | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
In a season full of downs, Christian Vazquez has actually been a pleasant surprise. Serving as Yainer Diaz 's primary backup catcher, the defensive-minded Vazquez is slashing .316/.371/.491 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 18 games and 63 plate appearances. He's off to the best offensive start of his career.
Sure, it's a small sample size and he's bound to regress at some point, but the veteran is playihg like a catcher contending teams would want. Now, nobody would trade for him to be the starter, but with Vazquez swinging the bat like this, is there a better backup in the sport right now? If there are, there aren't many.
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Vazquez is 35 years old and is on a one-year deal. Houston probably wouldn't receive much in a trade for him, but rather than losing him to free agency for nothing after the year, it'd behoove Houston to get something for him by July assuming they're out of contention.
RHP Ryan Weiss
Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Weiss | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Tatsuya Imai signing generated most of the headlines, but Ryan Weiss is another pitcher signed out of an international league expected to play a big role for this team. Weiss had spent the past couple of seasons in the KBO and had pitched well, so it certainly made sense for the Astros to give him a one-year, $2.5 million deal, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. That has not happened.
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Weiss has a 7.62 ERA in nine appearances (two starts) and 26 innings of work. He's already given up eight home runs and issued 20 walks. He isn't throwing enough strikes, and when he's in the zone, he's too hittable.
The Astros have a $2.5 million club option on the right-hander for next season, but based on what we've seen from him thus far, there's no reason to pick that up. If Weiss improves, maybe the Astros can get something for him. If not, it wouldn't be surprising to see him DFA'd in the coming months.
LHP Steven Okert
Houston Astros pitcher Steven Okert | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Steven Okert has quietly been a productive player for Houston the past couple of years. He had a 3.01 ERA in 68 appearances in 2025, and while his 4.60 ERA in 18 appearances this year is high, it's worth noting that his ERA was at 2.70 through 15 outings. He's struggled a bit lately, but for the most part, he's been effective, particularly against left-handed hitters.
| Year |
Steven Okert vs. LHB |
|---|---|
| 2026 |
.172 BA, .491 OPS |
| 2025 |
.184 BA, .541 OPS |
| Career |
.211 BA, .621 OPS |
Now, Okert has struggled mightily against righties this season, but as a left-handed specialist, he's as underrated as they come. This is a player Houston could certainly use, but as most of the players on this list, the veteran is on an expiring contract.
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If the Astros are out of contention, trading a player who is probably going to leave as a free agent after the year makes the most sense. Given his track record, Okert is one of Houston's most valuable trade assets.
3B Isaac Paredes
Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Isaac Paredes was a popular trade candidate all offseason, and while he never wound up getting dealt, it'd honestly be surprising if he stuck around past the deadline. Now, the Astros don't have to trade him - Paredes is under club control through next season - but there are a couple of reasons why it makes sense to trade him now.
First, he's more valuable to trade now than he'll be at any other time. Teams often prioritize control, and knowing that Paredes has another year, they'd be willing to give up more. Second, the Astros have a logjam of infielders worth addressing.
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It hasn't felt that way recently with Jeremy Pena out, but when Pena is healthy (and he's about to return), the Astros have five infielders for four spots, and Paredes is the easiest one to move. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both have no-trade clauses, Christian Walker is an old and expensive first baseman, and Pena is their most valuable infielder. Paredes is valuable enough to net the Astros a solid return and not untouchable to the point where it'd be detrimental to trade him.
Trading Paredes for an outfielder or, preferably, pitching, feels like the ideal path forward for Houston to not only address their infield logjam, but to get a boost in other areas of need.
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This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as These 5 Houston Astros will be gone by the MLB trade deadline .
