Power ranking the Houston Astros' top 4 left-handed hitting trade deadline targets

As the July 31 trade deadline approaches, it's time for Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown to lock in on the team's biggest needs as they look to not only make the playoffs, but make a deep run once October begins.

At the top of that shopping list is a left-handed bat. Houston lefties are hitting just .199/.281/.307 with a 62 wRC+ through 92 games, the worst mark in the league. Not only has the production been horrid, the opportunities have been few and far between as Houston has very few players even capable of batting from the left side, let alone hitting well.

Houston will have options, but determining the best one will depend on a variety of factors. First, it would be preferable that the player they acquire can man one of their biggest positional needs, second base or left field, solving once and for all the Jose Altuve conundrum and putting Mauricio Dubón in a more comfortable bench role.

Second, the cost must be reasonable. Houston has one of the league's worst farm systems, so the club must be judicious with how it spends prospect capital to fill its various holes. Furthermore, ownership has shown that it doesn't have the appetite to cross the luxury tax line, so expiring contracts or younger players with years of control remaining that can fit with Houston's shifting core will be more attractive.

Ranking the Astros top four lefty-swinging trade targets

1. Willi Castro -UTIL - Minnesota Twins

If versatility is the name of Dana Brown's game, then he needs to look no further than Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins. The 28-year-old has played all over the diamond, with his most commonly played positions being 35 games at second base, and 27 games apiece in both left and right field. He can also fill in at third, short, and center in a pinch.

In addition to that defensive versatility, Castro is not purely a left-handed hitter, and instead switch hits, giving Houston greater flexibility. With a .269/.362/.436 line and eight homers, Castro provides ample parts power, contact, and on-base ability. As a left-handed hitter, he's posted a respectable .261/.367/.404 line.

His positional versatility would allow manager Joe Espada to deploy Jose Altuve in whichever way he finds most optimal, while still adding some left-handed punch to the lineup that can't be neutralized by a tough southpaw. As an expiring contract with the modest remains of a $6.4 million salary, he checks the affordability box as well.

There's one drawback, however. Castro's a subpar defender with -7 defensive runs saved accumulated across all of his defensive assignments this year. Still, the good significantly outweighs the bad and makes Castro the best option on the market for Houston.

2. Jarren Duran - LF - Boston Red Sox

While it's not a foregone conclusion that Jarren Duran will be traded at the deadline, it's starting to feel more and more likely, according to one MLB insider. Duran being available would be good news for the Astros.

At 28 years old, could give them an answer in left field in the present and the future. He's on an affordable $3.75 million deal for this season with a reasonable $8 million club option for 2026, plus two additional arbitration years, which keep him under team control through 2028. He'd slide in nicely with a young core that features Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, Isaac Paredes, and Cam Smith among others, who can be the foundation of a good lineup.

While his 2025 performance at the plate with a 101 wRC+ is a step back offensively from 2023 (121 wRC+) and 2024 (130 wRC+), Duran does a little bit of everything that makes the overall package compelling. Even with a league average bat, he's stolen 15 bases while posting a solid three DRS in left. If the bat returns to pre-2025 form, watch out.

The reason Duran isn't ranked higher is that there's some concern that this is his truest form offensively. While he hit 21 homers last season, that was the first time he topped double digits, and his other standout offensive campaign, 2023, saw him limited to just 102 games. Furthermore, he'll have a competitive market driving up the prospect package required to obtain his services, and that might ultimately make him too rich for Houston's blood.

3. Ryan O'Hearn - 1B/OF - Baltimore Orioles

Of all the left-handed bats on the market, Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn is the most impactful. After back-to-back years posting a 117 wRC+, O'Hearn is in the midst of a career-year slashing .286/.378/.462/137 wRC+ with 11 homers and well-above-average strikeout (17.1%) and walk (11.5%) rates.

With less than half of his $8 million salary being the responsibility of the team that acquires him, and a contract that expires at the end of the season, his financial impact also makes him enticing for the Astros.

Here's where things get sticky, however. O'Hearn's best position is at first base, and while Christian Walker has been severely disappointing there, are the Astros really going to pull him with two-and-a-half years remaining on his deal in favor of a half-season rental? Probably not.

The good news is that O'Hearn has some experience playing both corner outfield spots, though he's not a good defender in either of them. If the Astros get creative, though, they could make it work. O'Hearn could spell Walker at first against tough righties, while also logging time in right, left, and DH to get a starter's amount of at-bats across those four positions.

Castro and Duran are cleaner fits, however, and the market will be intense from first base-needy teams who see O'Hearn as their solution.

4. Cedric Mullins - CF - Baltimore Orioles

One of the flashier names available at this year's deadline, Baltimore center fielder Cedric Mullins, is a player who will be in demand and has some smoke coming out linking him to Houston.

For starters, the fit isn't entirely clean. As ourown Drew Koch points out, trading for Mullins could result in a greater shakeup that sees 2025's out-of-nowhere breakout Jake Meyers dealt in a daring reshuffling of assets.

The question is, would it be worth it? Mullins has been horrible after hitting .278 over the season's first month, with a .178 batting average in May and a .156 mark in June. In total, he's batting .211/.300/.410 for an exactly league-average 100 wRC+.

It might be okay to accept Mullins as a league-average hitter with the potential for more based on past performance if his glove work at a crucial defensive position like center field was good, but unfortunately, it's not. Mullins' -17 DRS in 2025 is the worst mark in the entire league.

Average offense plus atrocious defense is not a package that brings much value, if any at all. If it comes at the cost of trading Jake Meyers, especially for a half-season rental, it becomes completely unpalatable. A case can be made for each of the other three on this list, but you have to really squint to see Mullins as the best option.