Astros Trade Stocks: Who’s Rising and Falling

Apr 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow stands on the field before a game against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

With the July 31st trade deadline looming, Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow will have some choices to make when it comes to who he dishes out in a potential trade for an ace level pitcher, quality bat upgrade, or lockdown reliever. There has been a lot of moving and shaking going on in the Astros organization recently, whether it’s been veterans returning from the DL or top prospects getting called up to the AA and AAA levels.

Before I begin with this slideshow, I want to reiterate my main belief that the Astros SHOULD NOT make a trade at all before the deadline. After last night’s win against the Rangers, I’m confident that we can make a strong playoff push the roster that’s in place even though the Angels aren’t going away. Jed Lowrie and Scott Feldman are coming back very soon, Mark Appel is available in AAA, and the Jake Marisnick I saw last night looked like the April-version of Marisnick.

With all of that being said, I think the Astros will end up making some move very soon. I wrote the anti-trade article before the 2-8 road trip that showcased a glaring need for hitting, so that’s another area that has popped up now. So, let’s take a look at Astros trade pieces that are becoming either more likely to skip town or more likely to be laughed at when their name comes up in trade negotiations.

Next: Stock Rising: Brett Phillips