Astros may be forced to pick between two brutal trade deadline needs

The good news for the Houston Astros fanbase is that GM Dana Brown recognizes the team's need for improvements at the MLB trade deadline. Astros fans should expect Houston's front office to be aggressive before the July 31 deadline passes next week.

The bad news, however, is that Houston only plans to go one of two ways, not both. According former MLB general manager Jim Bowden, who is now a contributor for The Athletic (subscription required), the Astros have made it clear to opposing GMs that they're targeting a left-handed hitter at the deadline. Bowden also revealed that Houston is focused on starting pitching as well.

Unfortunately, Bowden claims that Brown and Co. will be to add only one such player at the deadline. So unless Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is available at the trade deadline — spoiler alert: he's not — the Astros will look to focus on only one of their most obvious needs.

Astros Rumors: Houston likely to decide between left-handed hitter or starting pitcher

While Astros fans would love to have their cake and eat it too, that doesn't appear to be in the cards. On the plus-side, however, Bowden did indicate that Houston was looking for an impact player rather than just a bench bat or back-of-the-rotation. So while it may be disappointing to hear, Astros fans should look at the trade deadline as an opportunity to secure quality over quantity.

Thankfully, there's no shortage of either need at this year's deadline. Left-handed hitters like Steven Kwan, Jarren Duran, Ryan O'Hearn, and Josh Naylor should all be available. As for starting pitching, the Astros could be looking to target the likes of Merrill Kelly, Mitch Keller, or Seth Lugo as the July 31 deadline approaches.

The next week-plus will be crucial for Brown, and the recent injury to Isaac Paredes may have made securing a bat even more important ahead of the deadline. That said, a positive injury prognosis for Yordan Álvarez could go a long way toward Houston perhaps their trade deadline focus from the lineup to the rotation.

The Astros are hopeful that all four of their injured starters will return at some point over the second-half of the season. If Brown truly believes that the quartet of Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, J.P France, and Spencer Arrighetti will act as the equivalent of trade deadline package, maybe shifting attention to the lineup makes more sense.

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