Thanks to recent history, it's been an pondering question: Will the Houston Astros be deadline sellers, and if so, what might that look like?
The Astros have notched 10 straight winning seasons and made the playoffs in nine of the last 11 years. Houston advanced at least as far as the American League Championship Series in seven straight seasons and won the World Series in 2017 and 2022.
Things are quite different now. Thanks to an early-season injury surge, age-related decline, and years of free-agent departures, the Astros are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. Their current record of 16-27 puts them in a last-place tie in the weak AL West. Their run differential of minus-44 is tied for worst in MLB.
The Astros have played the weakest schedule in all of MLB as measured by opponents' average winning percentage. Over the rest of the season, that toughens up a bit, as they rank 18th in remaining strength of schedule.
All of this brings us to the Astros' current playoff odds, which aren't promising figures. With serious injuries affecting core contributors, the Astros may not be positioned to improve upon what is presently a 102-loss pace. The farm system is currently one of the worst in the game.
Could Houston Become Deadline Sellers?
That brings us back to the possibility that the Astros move some notable veterans at the deadline to improve their young talent base and shift organizational focus to the long term. If the Astros commit to it, they could make themselves the most compelling team to watch leading up to the Aug. 3 deadline.
Given the current nature of the roster and farm system, that may indeed be a defensible path. They have the pieces to do more than just flip a couple of middle relievers to contenders.
The Prize: Yordan Alvarez
The big man would be the prize of the deadline. Alvarez boasts a career OPS+ of 165, which puts him behind just Aaron Judge and Mike Trout on the active career leaderboard. Yes, Alvarez is ahead of Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani, among many others.
This season, he's enjoying an MVP-grade rebound campaign after injuries waylaid his 2025. Thus far in 2026, Alvarez's age-29 season, he's slashing .308/.413/.616 with 13 home runs and 98 total bases in 43 games and almost as many walks as strikeouts. When healthy, Alvarez is in the discussion for best hitter on the planet.
Alvarez's contract makes him an even more attractive target. He's locked up through 2028 on the six-year, $115 million extension he signed prior to the 2023 season.