The Houston Astros are playing better baseball as of late and still have a shot to win the weak American League West and gain ground in the wild card race. They are still well below .500 though. Even though they are just 2 1/2 games out in the wild card hunt and AL West alike, they are 26-32 on the season.
They still haven’t quite fully recovered from a disastrous month of April, and it may be time for them to consider making some changes. Their pitching staff has been a nightmare, with the starting staff posting a 4.77 ERA this season, which is the worst in the entire American League.
However, while some teams could be in position to trade for Tarik Skubal, Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes the Astros are destined to do something else at the trade deadline.
“The Astros sure could use Skubal, but even if they get back in the race, I can’t see them trading their young players for a rental when they have such an aging roster,” Bowden predicted earlier this week. “It’s also more likely they become sellers than buyers.”
Astros Should Stay Out of Skubal Sweepstakes
To acquire a pitcher of Tarik Skubal’s caliber, the Astros are going to have to give the Detroit Tigers a lot of top prospects, and at the present moment, they just don’t have the prospects necessary to pull off a deal.
That is why it makes more sense for them to sell at the trade deadline. In all likelihood, the American League won’t be as weak as it currently is for much longer. Certain teams are going to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, and though the Astros are in the race right now, they just don’t have the pieces necessary to make a run to the postseason, nor add pieces at the trade deadline.
Even if they do add at the deadline, fans shouldn’t expect the moves to be blockbuster moves. That requires top prospects, something the Astros really can’t afford to give up. They missed the postseason last year, sitting out October for the first time since 2016. In all truth, their dynasty has likely fallen and come to an end.
This is no longer the same perennial championship contender it was earlier this decade. Things are changing in Houston, and a lot of the magic they had from previous postseason runs just isn’t there anymore.
Time for Astros to Rebuild
Ultimately, going for Skubal is not the best choice for the Astros. Instead, they would be best served hitting the reset button, just as the St. Louis Cardinals did this past offseason. They need to build for the future, and trading away certain players to add those assets makes a lot of sense.
The time has come to set the stage for the next great Astros team, but since they have been able to have so much success, it likely won’t take long assuming that they make all the right moves and acquire the right pieces.
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