The Houston Astros enter Tuesday with a 27-34 record, a disappointing mark that leaves them seven games back of both the American League West lead and a share of a wild-card spot. The Astros also saw star outfielder Kyle Tucker leave Monday's game after fouling a ball off his shin, although X-rays were negative and there's no indication at this point that he'll miss time. Even if Tucker does require an IL stint, don't expect the Astros to take a selling position ahead of the July 30 trade deadline -- just ask the person who makes those decisions: general manager Dana Brown.
"I don't see any scenario where we're sellers," Brown told Chandler Rome of The Athletic ahead of Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. "I think we're going to be buyers."
The Astros have played better following a miserable 10-19 stretch to begin the season. Indeed, Houston is 17-15 since the start of May. Tucker's shin aside, the Astros have gotten healthier, with Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander slotting back into the rotation after absences. Various playoff forecast models suggest the Astros still have a legitimate chance at making it to October: FanGraphs estimates they have a 36.4% shot, while Baseball Prospectus says 46.3%.
Presuming the Astros do look to add to their roster over the coming weeks, first base stands out as the most obvious position for them to upgrade. Veteran first basemen José Abreu and Jon Singleton have performed at below-average levels. The Astros could also seek pitching help, depending on the recovery processes for Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia, and perhaps another corner outfielder if Chas McCormick continues to struggle to repeat last year's breakout.
The one problem with Houston's deadline plans might be their limited farm system. Years of win-now trades and late (or forfeited) first-round picks have left the Astros with one of the worst systems in the majors. It'll be up to Brown to work around that potential limitation.
