Astros’ biggest roster weakness was somehow actually made worse at the trade deadline

The Houston Astros are yet again trying to fill the left-handed-hitting void in their outfield with the acquisition of Dalton Varsho. It was a need, and there are reasons to like Varsho, but ultimately, was it their biggest one? Not exactly.

The Astros entered August 3 with a 5.13 ERA from their starting pitchers, a mark that ranks 28th in the majors. Not only did they do nothing to fix that, but they actively made it worse by using Spencer Arrighetti as the chip to land Varsho.

Arrighetti had seen his performance fall off in recent weeks, and it was a concern, but he also helped boost the rotation big time while Houston was really scuffling at the beginning of the season. He went on to win AL Pitcher of the Month in May, and clearly has talent, even if some kinks ultimately need to be ironed out.

Sometimes giving up a player with promise is the cost of doing business at the trade deadline, but when you have a need so great, you then have to replace said player. On top of that, the Astros needed to add more to the rotation. Except they didn't, and now they're worse for the wear.

Dana Brown deserves blame for not upgrading the Astros' rotation, but Jim Crane is at fault, too

Dana Brown had said several times in the lead-up to the deadline that Houston's primary need was a left-handed-hitting outfielder. Needing lefty bats, especially in the outfield, has been the case for years in Houston, but with an offense that ranks 10th in the majors with 528 runs scored, it wasn't the biggest issue facing the club.

It does, however, show where the embattled general manager's head was at, and with a barren farm system and budgetary constraints, there was only going to be so much he could do. Varsho does scratch some itches. Getting a lefty bat that can handle center field was a plus, and while the 30-year-old isn't quite the dynamic defender he once was, he's still pretty solid in center.

With that said, his bat might not really bring all that much to the table. Varsho is slashing .243/.308/.374 with seven homers this season, which is good for a 91 wRC+. His career wRC+ is 98, and the 2025 campaign that saw him hit .238/.284/.548 with 20 dingers is a clear outlier.

The Astros have tried this approach before, bringing in averagish lefty bats and hoping they play up. Jesus Sanchez and Joey Loperfido are two of the most recent examples, and if they had worked, Varsho wouldn't be coming to town.

Here's where Jim Crane comes into play. Brown had another deal in place, one that would have sent Bryan Abreu to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Trevor Larnach, but Crane quashed it.

Larnach is a better hitter (though not the defender) than Varsho is, and getting him for a struggling reliever the Astros have no interest in re-signing when he hits free agency at season's end would have been ideal. It also would have given the Astros some more time to find starters for the rotation, which again, was the actual greatest need.

To be fair to Crane, it's unclear if there were other players attached to the Larnach deal, but on the surface, it looks like his meddling cost the team a superior option in the outfield and weakened an already flimsy starting staff.

Brown said that the Astros got close to a couple of deals for starters, but he balked at the prices. Instead, he's touting the returns of Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski, both coming off Tommy John surgery, as reasons to feel comfortable about the starters. Blanco has made three mediocre starts that have yielded a 7.36 ERA, while Wesneski has turned in one decent outing so far.

At the end of the day, it looks like Brown prioritized the wrong need, and his owner made his job harder. That's a recipe for disaster, and it doesn't bode well for him keeping his job beyond this season.

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