5 crazy trade targets for the Astros that would blow our minds

The Houston Astros have some work to do at the trade deadline this year. They are keeping pace with the division-leading Texas Rangers, but this is a roster that needs some help. General manager Dana Brown already went on the record saying that the team is looking to add a starting pitcher and that was before Framber Valdez was dinged up with a calf issue.

Previously, Brown also mentioned that Houston was look to at a bat at the deadline as well. Again, that makes a ton of sense as the Astros' power production has taken a dip this season especially with Yordan Alvarez on the shelf with an oblique injury ($).

Sure, we could look at the rental starting pitchers that are likely to be on the market like Lucas Giolito, Jordan Montgomery, or Eduardo Rodriguez. We could also look at the thin outfield market at guys like Adam Duvall and any number of Cardinals players. However, what if the Astros decided to swing big and go after some big names that we didn't even think COULD be available?

Here are 5 crazy trade targets for the Houston Astros that would blow our minds

To be clear, most of these players are not even likely to be dealt and in some cases, it is very dubious that the Astros would even have the trade capital to acquire them. Most of these guys have a lot of team control attached to them and/or are on teams that, at least on paper, are contenders in 2023. In one case, the biggest problem is that the player in question is on a division rival which makes any trade with his team difficult to say the least.

Lets take a look at some wild trade ideas for the Houston Astros at this year's deadline.

Dylan Cease and Luis Robert Jr.

This is a funny one because it has at least some grounding in reality especially if one believes what Michael Schwab is tweeting when it comes to Astros trade rumors. The Astros could really use both a starting pitcher and a power bat and it is safe to say that Dylan Cease and Luis Robert Jr. would definitely qualify.

Cease is having a bit of a down year by his standards this season with a 4.19 ERA and slightly lower 3.77 FIP. However, the strikeouts have still be there and the guy did just finish second in the AL Cy Young race last year. He also has two more years of team control after this season which falls right into the window of where the Astros are expecting to compete.

Luis Robert Jr. meanwhile has been a top 5 position player of all of baseball this season with 3.9 fWAR and 27 homers through 392 plate appearances this season. Lou Bob is an all-world talent and he is also under contract for the next FOUR seasons after 2023 including a pair of club options for 2026 and 2027 worth $20 million each.

This would be a monster of a trade and while the White Sox are certainly going to be sellers at the trade deadline, it is hard to envision them getting rid of two of their better under-team-control players in one fell swoop. To even get a conversation started with them, a trade package of something like Jeremy Peña, Luis Garcia, Drew Gilbert, Colin Barber, Spencer Arrighetti, and Forrest Whitley would have to be on the table.

It may be unlikely and is one of those moves that would immediately put Dana Brown under a microscope (not to mention cause rioting in Chicago), but the Astros have already expressed an interest in Dylan Cease recently...so why not see if a big deal can get done to take care of both of Houston's deadline needs?

Juan Soto

Stepping away from the starting pitching market for a minute, the pool of available bats at the trade deadline this year leaves a lot to be desired. There are a couple relatively interesting rental guys like Adam Duvall and maybe a couple guys with some team control that could work like Lane Thomas, but this isn't a deep group. One team could change all of that: the San Diego Padres.

Things have not gone to plan for the Padres. This is an organization that invested very heavily in both trades and free agency in this roster and they currently have a fourth place standing and sub .500 record to show for it. The Padres' front office has tried to portray an air of confidence that they think the team could turn things around. If they are honest with themselves and read the writing on the wall, though, one guy that could bring San Diego back a haul in a trade is Juan Soto.

Again, it would certainly be weird to trade as much as San Diego did last year to get Soto only to turn around and trade him this year, but the situation has changed. The Padres do not appear to be going anywhere this season and with Soto set to become a free agent after the 2024 season, this is the Padres' chance to get a real return for him unless they are dead set on extending him.

Oddsmakers will probably say that the Padres will try at least one more year with this insanely talented core of theirs before considering moving any of them. However, there is a world where San Diego decides to cut their losses in 2023 and make moves that could quickly reposition themselves financially and with their roster to be competitive again in short order.

For the Astros, this would be a no-brainer interest. Soto is a legitimate superstar who changes the dynamic of a game anytime he comes to the plate. To even get the Padres interested would probably require some major league talent and a good prospect or two, but this kind of bat rarely becomes available on the trade market. If it happens, the Astros should pounce.

Bobby Witt Jr.

No one is predicting that Bobby Witt Jr. may be available at the deadline and it is understandable why. The Royals are truly terrible, sure, but Witt Jr. is supposed to be apart of the wave of young talent that would finally return the Royals to glory after all of those high draft picks of theirs.

However, go ahead and take a quick look at the Royals' farm system rankings. Do you see any help coming anytime soon that could alter the course of the franchise? Nope, us either. Asa Lacy was one of those high picks and he has barely thrown as a pro because of injuries. The Royals picked Frank Mozzicato in the top 10 of another draft in a cute attempt to spread bonus pool money around, but with little show for that little gambit.

The Royals look like they could be bad for a long, long time at this rate and Witt Jr. is one of the most talented players in the league to be sure. However, he isn't good enough to single-handedly carry the team to a .500 record, let alone contention.

This is where the Astros could come in. The roster fit isn't perfect at this moment, but with Witt Jr. not even being arbitration eligible yet, Houston could make room for him easily enough by including Jeremy Peña in a deal along with the quantity of talent that Kansas City needs to get going.

As an added bonus for Houston, they would not only be getting a dynamic, talented player in Witt Jr. that can contribute in multiple ways...but they would be getting one from Texas which would be certain to get the local fans excited.

Shohei Ohtani

Okay, okay...everyone is hoping that their team is going to trade for Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline and frankly, we get it. Ohtani is a generational talent that is an elite rotation arm and power bat with speed all rolled up into one player somehow. There isn't a player we can realistically compare him to in modern times and when you have to use the name "Babe Ruth" to give context to a guy's accomplishments, that is a pretty wild place to be.

Shohei is going to be the star of free agency this winter and is likely to sign the most expensive deal the sport has ever seen wherever he decides to sign. However, there are enough whispers floating around that the Angels know that they are not the favorites to sign Ohtani and that they are at least exploring their trade options to make us wonder: why not the Astros?

We are in uncharted territory here in terms of price when it comes to Ohtani. Sure, he is just "a rental", but he is also probably and simultaneously the best hitter and pitcher on the trade market if he is actually available. In a vacuum, it would probably require one big league player and a few prospects to even start negotiations.

However, the biggest problem for the Astros is that the world does not operate in a vacuum and Ohtani is currently playing for the Angels, a division rival. It is already unlikely that the Angels will move Ohtani at all because they don't want to go down in history as the team that traded him. To trade him to a division rival might lead to mass season ticket cancellations. That said, it is just for half a season and if the Angels get a big haul back for Shohei, they could take some solace in the fact that there is basically no chance Houston will be in play to sign Ohtani to a long-term deal.

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