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The Houston Astros failed to address one of their biggest needs — a left-handed hitter — during the offseason and may need to use this year's MLB trade deadline in order to shore up their lineup. Some fans will point to the impending return of Yordan Álvarez as reason to avoid targeting a lefty bat this summer, but Houston needs more than just one left-handed hitter in the everyday lineup if they hope to make a postseason run in 2025.
The market isn't necessary ripe with left-handed hitters, but if GM Dana Brown searches hard enough, he should be able to find a few that could greatly improve Houston's lineup this season. Astros' left-handed hitters are among the worst in MLB this season with a .224/.306/.320 slash line. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox have been worse. That's not the type of company you want to be associated with.
So who might Houston target at the MLB trade deadline? Obviously the price tag matters, as Jim Crane would prefer to remain under the luxury tax. The return package will matter as well, so it'll be curious to see if Houston will go after some of the bigger names who'll be on the market. There's at least five players, however, who should be on the Astros' radar before the July 31 deadline.
5 realistic trade targets who could fix the Astros’ biggest weakness
Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles
If the Baltimore Orioles decide to sell, and it's looking more and more like they will, Ryan O'Hearn might be their biggest trade chip. As such, he'll be in high demand. But if the Astros are looking to hit a home run at this year's trade deadline, Brown and Co. should set their sights on O'Hearn. The 31-year-old is slugging nearly .500 on the season with a .930 OPS against right-handers. O'Hearn will be a free agent after the 2025 season, so it shouldn't cost Houston a ton of prospect capital to get him.
Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
Will the St. Louis Cardinals be buyers or sellers at the MLB trade deadline? Why not both? The Cardinals front office had every intention of rebuilding this season, but Oli Marmol and the players didn't get the memo. Brendan Donovan, however, could be moved at the deadline as St. Louis hopes to rebuild their dilapidated farm system. This would be a costly, but superb addition to the Astros roster with Donovan under team control for another two seasons.
Lars Nootbar, St. Louis Cardinals
Fellow Cardinal Lars Nootbar could also be on the move this summer if St. Louis decides to sell. With a 2025 salary of $2.95 million and team control through the 2027 season, Nootbar won't come cheap, but wouldn't cost as much in terms of prospect capital as the aforementioned Donovan. For his career, Nootbar has relatively even lefty-righty splits, but his power numbers tick up by about 50 points against right-handed pitching.
Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds have a pair of left-handed platoon outfielders on their roster — Will Benson and Jake Fraley. The roster redundancy may have Cincinnati shopping one of the two this summer, and with only one year of team control remaining, Fraley is the more likely of the duo to be dealt. The 30-year-old plays above-average defense, is only making $3 million this season, and has a career 111 OPS+ against right-handed pitching.
Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are always looking to trade at the deadline. At 30 years old, Brandon Lowe is rather long in the tooth for Tampa Bay's liking and is only under contract through next season. Adding the infielder, however, would force Houston to keep Jose Altuve in the outfield. If that's the direction the Astros plan to go, perhaps Lowe is the perfect addition to the roster.