Houston Astros: CTH’s July Trade Deadline Preview

May 2, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow waves to the crowd before a game against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to July 2015, which appears to be a busy one for your Houston Astros this year. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Astros are in the playoff hunt and will not be sellers this year. Jeff Luhnow may be treading in unfamiliar waters this year as he is not trying to sell established players for prospects. However, one thing that the Astros have in their favor is that Luhnow seems to have a good method of evaluating prospects and trade targets. We will pretend that the Hank Conger trade didn’t happen.

The one thing that could raise the price for any trade targets for the Astros is that there will be the only teams going after the players. Any team that has holes on their roster will be going after the same players, including the division rivals Texas Rangers and Anaheim Angels. Even though most teams will wait until the end of July to start making deals to give themselves time to decide if the are buyers or sellers.

However, some teams like the Astros could want to get a particular player earlier, so they may prefer to make a deal earlier. The first of July is not the beginning of the trade season, but it is the countdown to the deadline. Jeff Luhnow has probably already laid some framework down for possible trades, as Astros scouts are starting to go look at different players around the league.

We will get Climbing Tal’s Hills trade deadline coverage started by looking at the Astros needs and trade assets below.

• What needs do the Astros have?
• What major league pieces do the Astros have available for trades?
• Which Astros prospects are most likely on the move?

Next: What needs do the Astros have?