Ranking the Houston Astros' 2025 trade deadline needs by severity

Somehow, despite the mounting injuries they've suffered, the Houston Astros just keep rolling. The club has seemingly dodged a major bullet with Jeremy Peña expected to miss minimal time after being hit by a pitch and landing on the injured list on June 30.

Still, Houston's breakout star will likely be playing through pain when he returns from the IL due to his fractured rib, and that development only underscores the importance of this year's trade deadline for Houston.

There are a couple of positions in the lineup that could be shored up, and a need for rotation depth, and one critical area that must be addressed at all costs. That leaves the Astros with a lot of directions that they could go, though with limited prospect capital, they'll have to be judicious and will potentially leave a need unfilled.

Taking a closer look, there's a clear pecking order in what absolutely must be addressed and what would be nice to upgrade, but won't be fatal to the team's chances as the push toward an October run.

Ranking the Houston Astros' 2025 trade deadline needs by importance

1. A left-handed bat

Regardless of position, no need is greater for Houston than adding a left-handed force to balance out and strengthen the lineup. A dearth of options has Houston receiving the fewest plate appearances (190) from left-handed hitters of any team through July 4, and it's not even close.

Lefties have produced a putrid .195/.283/.287 line on the year for Houston, and their .569 OPS ranks dead last in the league.

While the Astros employ one of the best left-handed hitters in the game, they can't count on Yordan Alvarez to return to the lineup anytime soon, as his ongoing saga to return from a hand injury has had more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan movie. When he does return, there's no guarantee that he'll be at peak form as he was scuffling to the tune of a .210/.306/.340 line before the May 2 injury, may need time to shake off any lingering effects.

Fortunately, the Astros have a bunch of flexible pieces, meaning they have some flexibility in terms of who they target. Outfielders like Jarren Duran or Cedric Mullins could be in play, as could utility man and switch-hitter Willi Castro, who could put down roots at either second base or left field for the Astros.

Depending on which direction they go in here, the Astros might be able to solve another need further down the list, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

2. Another starting pitcher

Houston has arguably the league's best one-two punch atop their rotation, but after Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, the drop-off is steep. Lance McCullers Jr.'s continued blowups prove the Astros bet wrong as the once-promising hurler works his way back from injuries that have sidelined him since 2022.

Season-ending injuries to Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski certainly haven't helped things, and even with Spencer Arrighetti, hopefully, due back this month, more is needed.

Even if southpaws Colton Gordon or Brandon Walter emerge as a viable option over the next couple of weeks, you still need a solid four starters to make a run in October.

A proven commodity to back up Houston's dynamic duo would do wonders to legitimize the Astros as true contenders, but it won't be easy to find such a thing. The club won't want to take on future money beyond 2025, so that eliminates a prime candidate like the Pirates' Mitch Keller.

If the Arizona Diamondbacks decide to sell, lefty Merrill Kelly would be an amazing fit, while righty Zac Gallen would be the upside play, giving Houston potentially three aces if he shakes off whatever's been plaguing him with a 5.45 ERA on the season.

Other potential options include Kansas City's Seth Lugo, though the cost of acquisition might be too rich for Dana Brown's liking. Freddy Peralta would be a dream given that his $8 million club option for 2026 would be affordable enough for the Astros to pick up should Framber Valdez bolt in the offseason. Riskier plays would be the still-arbitration eligible Edward Cabera from the Miami Marlins or betting on Baltimore's Zach Eflin to be a prime change-of-scenery candidate.

Whichever direction they go, it's clear the club can't just stand pat here.

3. Either a second baseman or a left fielder

Perhaps better put, finding one home for Jose Altuve and sticking with it. The fading star isn't what he once was, but with a .269/.331/.438 line and 15 homers, his bat still plays. What doesn't play as much anymore is his glove.

Altuve has bounced between second and left this season, logging 37 games on the grass and 28 at the keystone through July 4, and the results haven't been pretty. Altuve's put up a ghastly -8 DRS in his first year roaming the outfield while his performance at second, -3 DRS, has been better that number has come in just 207 innings of action at his natural position.

Still, there's some logic to think that if he had a permanent defensive home, it would take some weight off his shoulders and improve his glove work through the comfort of knowing he can focus on just one position. With that in mind, the Astros would be wise to acquire either a full-time second baseman or left fielder.

One of the left-handed variety would be great, harkening back to the need of adding a left-handed bat as listed above. The options are not extremely plentiful, however.

While some of the obvious basement dwellers will be clear deadline sellers, the American League is comprised of a glut of teams that still think they have hopes to win a Wild Card spot, even if their chances to truly compete are slim.

The second base market is underwhelming unless something changes, though the aforementioned Willi Castro could fill this role and keep Altuve in left field. Outside of that, the rest of the options that are currently projected to be on the move don't represent an upgrade over Mauricio Dubón.

That leaves left field, where there are hurdles as well. Outside of the already discussed lefties, Jarren Duran and Cedric Mullins make sense; the path to acquire a right-handed bat is more difficult.

The Angels' Taylor Ward and the Rangers' Adolis Garcia provide pop, but they both play for division rivals who haven't completely fallen out of the Wild Card race.

An out-of-the-box option might be Ryan O'Hearn of the Baltimore Orioles. Another lefty swinger, O'Hearn has split his time between first base, both corner outfield spots, and DH this season, posting a .290/.376/.464 line with 11 dingers so far.

He could do something similar for the Astros, playing in the outfield corners and rotating in at DH while also giving the struggling Christian Walker a left-handed caddy.

Bottom line, if the Astros find an impact left-handed bat that may solve this need as well, or if the incoming player comes at a different position, such an addition may render this a luxury rather than a core need.

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