Astros’ top trade chip is emerging in front of our eyes, and Houston can’t afford to waste it

As the Houston Astros continue to hang around the playoff race in an incredibly mediocre American League, it's becoming clearer and clearer that they're going to become trade deadline buyers. The problem that they'll face is that with a bottom-ranked farm system, buying the kind of help that they need will be nearly impossible.

Houston still needs a left-handed hitting outfielder after last year's solution, Jesús Sánchez, and the offseason reunion with Joey Loperfido have both gone bust. Another starting pitcher would also be ideal. Finally, every contender could always use help in the bullpen. It's going to be hard for Dana Brown to wrangle up all of that during his deadline shopping.

A possible solution has emerged, though. According to reports, reliever AJ Blubaugh has become an in-demand trade target around the league. The 26-year-old has a high level of intrinsic value as a promising young arm with oodles of team control. His history as a minor league starter is also appealing for rebuilding clubs that would prefer to give him a shot in the rotation.

Trading AJ Blubaugh could solve a lot of the Astros' problems, but only if they play their cards right

Blubaugh showed promise as a reliever last season with a 1.69 ERA that had him on track to be a real weapon in the postseason had Houston made the dance. That didn't happen, but this year, the former seventh-round pick has further established himself as a weapon in relief.

Entering action on July 6, Blubaugh has made 34 appearances while logging an MLB-leading 56 1/3 innings, all while posting a 3.36 ERA. That includes a rough start to the year with Blubaugh posting a 5.89 ERA over the season's first month. Since May 1, that number has dropped to a stellar 2.13 mark as he's become a true multi-inning weapon for Joe Espada to utilize in key moments throughout the game.

Given the starting rotation's struggles and the key role the bullpen played in the Astros' June turnaround, it might seem counterintuitive to trade away a key member of that unit and possibly weaken what has worked so well for Houston of late.

However, once you think it through, it becomes obvious why it could work. If the Astros can get back a bigger piece that has the potential for a greater impact while conserving resources to fill other holes, then it becomes clear that the whole becomes greater without Blubaugh than it is with him.

With that said, Brown needs to be smart. He needs to weigh his options carefully and not cash in the Blubaugh chip for just anything. Instead, he needs to trade control for immediate impact, leveraging the biggest selling point the young hurler brings to the table to extract a greater veteran talent for the short term.

Exchanging Blubaugh for an equivalent player at a different position might not move the needle, but if the Astros' embattled general manager can find a way to flip him for greater value, it could pay huge dividends. If not, it will be a huge mistake that could cost Houston a shot at the playoffs this year, while making the organization's future outlook that much more uncertain.

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