Mariners' trade deadline missteps have bailed the Astros out so far

For much of the season, the Houston Astros defied expectations. Re-tooling on the fly, the club suffered devastating injury after devastating injury, yet somehow kept on trucking.

Houston really seemed to hit their stride in June, clicking on all cylinders, while eyeing trade deadline additions and the returns of injured stars. They seemed poised to steamroll through the AL West in the second half.

Despite being universally regarded as one of the deadline's biggest winners, a whole lot of cold water has been thrown on the Astros' momentum dating back to the All-Star break. They're still waiting for Yordan Alvarez's IL odyssey to come to an end while simultaneously hoping that the offseason's prized free-agent signing, Christian Walker, will awake from his season's long slumber.

With the brutal losses stacking up, Houston has seen the Seattle Mariners creeping up in the rearview mirror. In reality, given how the Astros have played, they have to thank their lucky stars that Seattle's big trade deadline swings haven't paid off (yet).

The Astros have been seriously bailed out by the struggles of the Mariners' new additions, Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor

Perhaps the trade deadline's most in-demand name was that of Eugenio Suarez, who was linked to every infield-needy contender, even to the Astros. Ultimately, it was the Mariners who landed the star slugger, and they did so at a surprisingly low cost.

Suarez was joined in Seattle by his former Arizona Diamondbacks teammate, Josh Naylor, another supposedly big get for a Mariners lineup that was particularly lifeless at first base. Adding two dynamic hitters in support of MVP candidate Cal Raleigh should have made a world of difference, and put a ton of pressure on Houston.

Instead, both Suarez and Naylor have fallen flat in their new digs. Suarez, who left Arizona with 36 homers, has gone deep just three times since the trade and has slashed an atrocious .181/.221/.361 since beginning his second stint in the Pacific Northwest. It should be noted that from 2022-2023, the third baseman put up two of the worst seasons of his career as a member of the Mariners.

Naylor has been better, but not by much. The lefty-swinging first baseman is hitting just .238/.289/.429, a far cry from the .292/.360/.447 line he put up in the Arizona desert.

Seattle's string of losses has saved the Astros during the skid, but Houston can't expect to keep receiving gifts from Seattle for much longer. Players like Suarez and Naylor are too good to stay down for long, and Seattle's a well-rounded club that should not be overlooked. Things could get very hairy for the Astros if they don't get their act together quickly.

More Houston Astros News and Rumors