Nearly two full months into the 2026 MLB season, there have been a handful of surprises and disappointments. One of those real surprises has been the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. One disappointing team is the Houston Astros.
There are several reasons why the Astros have been a disappointment. They have dealt with numerous injuries to key players. On their first road trip this season, they lost three starters to the injury list. Not what you want to have happen, considering how much turnover there was in the offseason.
Houston begins a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this weekend, 11 games under .500 and spinning their wheels near the bottom of the AL West standings. They are just 6.5 games behind the Athletics for the top spot. There is still time for general manager Dana Brown to make some trade deadline decisions. When the time comes, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report had one prediction that should not come as a surprise.
Houston Astros Predicted To Hold Onto Star Yordan Alvarez
If Houston and Brown decide to sell at some point, there will be no shortage of players that teams would be interested in. The question will be, how far does Brown go in trades? Does he blow it up and dump several players, or will it be a retool? Whatever he decides, Rymer doesn’t think Yordan Alvarez will be traded.
“OK, enough poo-pooing of Alvarez. Because the stone-cold truth of the matter is that he might be the best pure hitter in MLB when he’s right,” wrote Rymer. “He’s batting .301/.399/.574 over the last five seasons, which only looks unimpressive compared to Aaron Judge. And between the two of them, Alvarez at least has bragging rights as being the harder hitter to strike out.”
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the trade package for Alvarez would likely be a return for Houston, which might have to be nothing less than a Juan Soto package. That would be quite the return. However, Brown has to decide on one of the top power-hitters in the game. Alvarez has a career .944 OPS in the postseason. You trade away players like that in their prime.
Houston Astros Have Plenty of Players They Could Trade
If it’s not Alvarez, it will likely be someone else. There have been rumors surrounding infielder Isaac Paredes going all the way back to the offseason. He is an infielder team would covet. First baseman Christian Walker is on a contract that Brown might regret and look to move.
Then there is closer Josh Hader. He is currently out injured, but he could return before the trade deadline in August. If he does and proves he’s healthy, he could be a massive trade chip for Brown and the Astros. Several teams, including the San Diego Padres, have already been linked to him despite his injury.
Given the number of injuries, it feels like a long shot that Houston can turn things around and become a factor in the postseason race. If they decide to sell some pieces, they have options and a chance to retool on the fly.
Houston Astros Get Promising Prediction for Three-Time All-Star Slugger