According to their owner, the Houston Astros’ championship window will never close on his watch. The claim creates a fascinating backdrop for every trade deadline, one the Astros will navigate this season with large expectations and a litany of needs. Two jobs hang in the balance, too, offering more drama for a team that never lacks for it.Record: 42-44Record this time last season: 52-34Standing: third in AL WestPlayoff odds: 34.6 percent (FanGraphs), 25.3 percent (Baseball Reference)If the season ended today: Eliminated from playoff contentionBiggest series between now and the deadline: Two, actually. Houston plays its intrastate and divisional rival, the Texas Rangers, six times before Aug. 3. The pair of three-game series — one on July 10-12 and another July 31-Aug. 2 — could finally offer separation within the middle of a pedestrian American League West.Current needs: The Astros’ outfield is on pace to be one of the least productive in franchise history, conjuring memories of the 2012 and 2013 teams that combined to lose 218 games. Addressing it is general manager Dana Brown’s foremost priority — and preferably with a left-handed hitter.
Throughout the winter, Brown broadcast the team’s intentions to bolster its outfield, and that desire has not waned. Extracting a .664 OPS from the position after 85 games has only intensified it. Houston would also like a right-handed reliever to take pressure off Enyel De Los Santos, AJ Blubaugh and Bryan Abreu. It could benefit from adding a durable starter, too, but the team’s lack of prospect capital will make doing all of this difficult.Why the AL Wild Card is up for grabsKen Rosenthal and Johnny SweetHistory says: Jim Crane has cemented himself as one of baseball’s most aggressive owners at the trade deadline, authorizing deals for Carlos Correa, Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander (twice) during the team’s golden era. Expecting anything less feels foolish, but bear in mind that Crane has paid the luxury tax each of the past two seasons. Whether he will want to pay it again is a legitimate question. According to Cot’s Contracts, Houston is $10,126,240 under the first luxury tax threshold, giving Brown some flexibility to find reinforcements.What will determine what they do: Both Brown and manager Joe Espada are in the final year of their contracts, making this a make-or-break season for Houston’s baseball braintrust. Barring a total collapse, expect Brown to be aggressive in pursuit of a playoff spot — and perhaps more job security.What should they do: The franchise has been approaching a crossroads for much of the past three years, saddled with an aging core and one of the sport’s worst-rated farm systems. Navigating that requires some nuance, but Brown’s contract status renders most logic moot. He is trying to save his job, so going all-in may be the only path for him to travel. Realistically, though, it may benefit Houston’s future to protect what little prospect capital the club has while making marginal upgrades on a team with too many deficiencies to address at one deadline.
