4 Astros prospects who are more expendable at the trade deadline after the 2026 MLB Draft

The Houston Astros are buyers this year. That has been made clear more times than anyone can count. Despite being under .500 at the end of the first “half,” Houston is hanging around a weak division and a weak lead, and Dana Brown hasn’t hidden what he’s looking to acquire. He wants a left-handed hitting outfielder and bullpen help. The Astros have already made one deal, sending Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon to the Milwaukee Brewers, which saved them a little money to give them some flexibility to chase down some bigger names.

With the draft in the rearview mirror, it’s interesting to look at who they took and how that might make other prospects trade bait. Look at their 17th overall pick, Logan Hughes. He’s certainly a polished, patient college bat from the left side, but he’s not ready to help the big league team. What he can do is help to make some other players available to go out and get someone who can help the big league team. Spending the pick on Hughes, along with some other picks, gives you a bit of an insight into who the front office might be willing to move in a deal to help the club today.

The MLB Draft is not meant to fill holes at the big league level, but there also isn’t generally a coincidence in who is chosen. When a team drafts directly into a hole it already has internal candidates for, that’s a sign that those candidates have either plateaued or become trade chips rather than long-term plans. Sometimes it’s both.

The same thing that happened in the outfield with Hughes happened at shortstop when the Astros used their third- and fourth-round picks on Keon Johnson and Kam Durnin a year after taking Xavier Neyens in the first round. They also used their other comp pick in the fourth round on third baseman Beau Peterson. That’s a lot of investment into spots already accounted for. Obviously, they can switch positions, but you can read the tea leaves a little, too.

Here is a look at some of the Astros prospects who are easier to trade away after the draft

Zach Cole, OF

Zach Cole is a lefty bat who was the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year last year, and who was so good that he got some time in the big leagues, where he excelled. But this season, Cole broke his toe after the first weekend of play and missed nearly a month. It was an injury that really exposed how thin the organization's outfield depth was. Since the injury, he’s struggled in both AAA and the majors. While he’s already basically the most MLB-ready version of what Hughes can become, he’s also now a logical prospect to trade if a left-handed bat comes back for him.

Lucas Spence, OF

Lucas Spence was undrafted in 2024, but has flown through the system, hitting enough at all levels to be in AAA, knocking on the door. He’s praised for his plate discipline, speed, and glove, and was auditioning for the same long-term job the Astros acquired in Hughes. Spence’s stock has remained the same, but the fact that they have someone else who can step in now means his path forward is more crowded, and he might be best utilized to bring in other talent.

Joseph Sullivan, OF

Hey, look, another lefty outfielder. Joseph Sullivan was a seventh-rounder in 2024, and a strong performance in high-A got him a bump to AA where he struggled. He’s repeating the level this year and is still struggling. Between Kevin Alvarez, Ethan Frey, Cole, Spence, and now Hughes, Sullivan’s behind a whole slew of players. His tools haven’t eroded, so he’s the sort of buy-low name that a club would be happy to take on and see if they can find the results he had last year to start the season. But with Hughes and others, it’s hard to see a spot for him.

Caden Powell, SS/3B/OF

Caden Powell has plenty of power, but his hit tool was in question when he was drafted in the sixth round two years ago. The thought is that he’ll have to move to third base regardless, and has actually only spent time in the outfield this year. That means Hughes, Johnson, Durnin, and Peterson are all sort of in his way now. Powell didn’t necessarily get worse. He’s actually having a great season in Asheville. But he’s had such a great season that he might be able to help the Astros by being trade bait.

Nobody will be devastated to see any of these four go, but they’re all valuable. That’s what makes them so useful. Houston spent the draft doubling down on the outfield and middle infield, which is great. But it’s a pretty clear sign they wanted to restock ahead of actually needing to, given who they drafted. And now they should feel comfortable moving any or all of these players in their quest for the lefty bat or bullpen arm they so desperately want by August 3.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow