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The Houston Astros were one of the most active teams at the 2025 trade deadline, coming away with Carlos Correa, Jesus Sanchez, and Ramon Urias, and being named one of the deadline's big winners.
All three of those additions have paid dividends to some extent, and all came at bargain prices, making Dana Brown look like a genius for his maneuvering. Still, there were a few names the Astros were linked to that, at the time, appeared to be upgrades, yet now the club can look back and know that they dodged a bullet.
Three players the Astros are glad they whiffed on at the trade deadline
Dylan Cease - SP
The rumors between the Houston Astros and the San Diego Padres showed just how hot and heavy things got regarding the Astros' pursuit of Dylan Cease. Ultimately, the deal fell through because of a disagreement over the asking price. San Diego is rumored to have wanted Spencer Arrighetti in addition to a package of three prospects; meanwhile, another MLB insider's report made it apparent that the Padres were seeking multiple controllable starting pitchers in exchange for Cease, a free-agent-to-be.
Giving up that much in the way of controllable arms in exchange for a two-month rental is a steep ask, especially when Houston is already likely losing Framber Valdez to greener pastures at season's end.
Furthermore, while Houston has struggled to get consistency out of their starters not named Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, it's not entirely clear that Cease would have posed an upgrade. The 29-year-old righty struggled mightily to begin the season and has never really found his groove. With a 4.94 ERA in August, Cease has been at a similar level to Houston's other mid-to-back-end starters, all of whom have more control.
While he was a top-four Cy Young vote getter in both 2022 and 2024, Cease isn't immune to these kinds of struggles, with a 4.58 ERA in 2023 in addition to his season mark of 4.82 this year. Simply put, dealing for Cease would have put a dent in Houston's pitching depth, without necessarily providing a bigger payoff.
Eugenio Suarez - 3B
Eugenio Suarez was considered to be one of the jewels of the trade deadline, and it looked like a disaster for Houston when their chief rival for the AL West crown, the Seattle Mariners, landed him. Suarez wasn't always linked to Houston; however, the rumors started to swirl following Isaac Paredes' unfortunate injury.
With Paredes' ability to return to action this season up in the air, Houston didn't sit on their hands, and instead, reunited with Carlos Correa to man the hot corner. Now a month removed from the deadline, it would appear that the Astros made the right call.
Correa looks like his old self since re-joining the Astros, posting a .320/.389/.443 line since the trade went down. Suarez, meanwhile, has struggled mightily. Always strikeout prone, Suarez has seen his K-rate soar to 32% with Seattle, tanking his production and coming away with a .189/.260/.422 line in the month of August.
Suarez is a free agent at the end of the season, while Correa will stick around in Houston through at least 2028. That will make things a bit crowded in the Astros' infield in the future, but with talented players, there is always a way to figure it out. Correa came at a reduced rate thanks in part to that big contract, which the Twins also kicked in some money to help cover, making the deal look even better in comparison.
Cedric Mullins - CF
A left-handed bat, and one who could man center were big Astros' needs, leading there to be a lot of smoke connecting Houston to then-Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins. Mullins, who had struggled for most of the season, turned it up a few notches in July, posting an .868 OPS leading up to the deadline.
Since then, however, Mullins' struggles have returned. With his new club, the New York Mets, Mullins is slashing just .225/.325/.352 in August. Not only has his bat been quiet for the majority of the season, but Mullins has also been a butcher in the field, posting -18 DRS in center, the worst mark in the league.
Meanwhile, the Astros instead acquired a different left-handed-hitting outfielder in Jesus Sanchez at the deadline. While Sanchez has been a bit up and down since coming over from the Miami Marlins with a .250/.302/.425 line in the month of August, the 27-year-old has some elite underlying metrics that suggest Houston might have unearthed a diamond in the rough.
With two more years of team control, Houston will get to see if Sanchez can turn those impressive metrics into actual production at a relatively cheap cost, while Mullins will hit the free-agent market at the end of the season. Houston made the right call here and wasn't fooled by the fool's gold performance Mullins put up in July.