3 missed opportunities for Astros at 2024 MLB trade deadline

The Houston Astros haven't exactly gotten glowing reviews for their work at the trade deadline this year. Despite general manager Dana Brown's attempts to explain his reasoning, the vast majority of observers agree that the Astros overpaid for Yusei Kikuchi and that Caleb Ferguson is unlikely to be a meaningful bullpen upgrade.

In all honesty, the most impactful move that Houston made this week was to DFA Rafael Montero, as the less he appears in games the rest of the way, the better. The Astros hope he will accept the assignment and work on some things in the minors, but it was a good move either way.

It is easy to pick apart moves after the fact. What is potentially more instructive is understanding what the Astros COULD have and SHOULD have done based on how the trade market unfolded. Here are some of the opportunities that Houston missed out on at the trade deadline.

Houston should have pushed harder for Erick Fedde

While the price the Astros paid for Kikuchi was too much for a rental, there is an argument that the deal for a starting pitcher that Houston really wanted didn't exist. Jack Flaherty went for less than everyone expected because of injury concerns, which may have put Houston off, and the big-name starters didn't go anywhere.

However, it sure feels like the Cardinals got a bargain for Erick Fedde. It is a bit hard to parse this move because it was a three-team deal with several players involved. However, St. Louis basically got Fedde and his 3.11 ERA, as well as Tommy Pham, in exchange for Tommy Edman, who has been injured all season long and has grown increasingly redundant, following the emergence of Masyn Winn and Michael Siani. Even after giving up what they did in the Kikuchi trade, Houston could have beaten that offer, and if they hadn't traded for Kikuchi, they could have traded for Fedde, followed by another big move to improve the roster elsewhere.

Isaac Paredes would have been a great long-term option for the Astros

In a lot of ways, trading for Isaac Paredes would have been the perfect move for Houston, aside from the fact that he isn't a starting pitcher. He would have filled Houston's need for a first baseman this year and then, assuming that Alex Bregman walks, Paredes could slot right in at third base if need be going forward. Unfortunately, Paredes ended up with the Cubs somewhat surprisingly, losing out on constant opportunities to pepper the Crawford Boxes with his tailor-made swing.

Considering that the price tag was Christopher Morel (a very talented, but flawed hitter) and a pair of mediocre pitching prospects, this feels like a price that Houston could have beaten. At minimum, trading for Paredes would have been a better bang for the Astros' buck if they'd put Joey Loperfido in that trade instead of the Kikuchi package. Instead, Houston ended up not acquiring a bat at all, which is pretty disappointing.

The Yusei Kikuchi trade torpedoed any chance of getting Yandy Diaz

So much of the noise before the trade deadline is that the Astros were extremely interested in trading for Yandy Diaz. The guy can flat-out hit, would be a significant upgrade at first base, and he would have come with flexible team control, given his $12 million club option for 2026. Many outside observers thought the Astros were going to land him at the deadline.

Instead, the Rays didn't end up trading Diaz at all. Perhaps Tampa got a little too excited, given some of the early trade prices, and the Astros got spooked by their demands. The more plausible explanation, unfortunately, is that Houston's limited prospect capital created a forced choice between Diaz and Kikuchi. The Astros chose the rental starter with a 4.75 ERA that misses some bats. Sure.

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