1. Trade Deadline Deals (July 30)
Astros GM James Click has two weeks to decide how aggressively he wants to pursue a World Series in 2021.
Since becoming owner of the ‘stros in 2011, Jim Crane has shown he is willing to spend money if it yields results unlike his predecessor Drayton McLane. No stranger to trade deadline action, the Astros acquired RHP Zach Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for four of Houston’s top prospects. Greinke was at the time in his fourth year of a six year, $206M contract; a contract that will expire at the conclusion of this season.
Another big move for a starting pitcher occurred in 2017, a blockbuster deal that brought Justin Verlander to Htown. Action at the deadline is familiar, but there’s a new GM in town. All eyes are on James Click.
Starting pitching shouldn’t need to be addressed this year. When healthy, the Astros have a plethora of starting arms. The problem? An unreliable a bullpen.
Outside of Ryan Pressly who has taken over the closer role for Houston this season (16 saves, 1.42 ERA), the bullpen has been inconsistent & at times just flat out bad. James Click & the Astros are rumored to be looking at former Red Sox & now Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel who has been outstanding throughout his career. Dirty Craig could pair nicely late in games alongside Ryan Pressly, but one has to expect teams in playoff races to make a push for the lights out arm of Kimbrel.
Houston may want to consider pursuing a lefty for the bullpen. LHP Kent Emmanuel (who had Tommy John surgery in 2015) was lost to season ending elbow surgery earlier this year, & LHP Brooks Raley will be absolutely spent by year end if his usage continues at this rate.
Thus far in 2021 Raley has gone 30.1 innings across 36 games, taking the brunt of lefty work for a struggling Astros bullpen. A lefty the ‘stros could be looking at? Baltimore Orioles LHP Paul Fry. The O’s are cellar dwellers with no hope of winning on the horizon which makes them great candidates for a deadline deal.
2. Astros Bats- No Trash Cans No Problem
Amongst endless other things, many like to ignore the fact that Houston’s bats performed better on the road during the “sign stealing scandal” year of 2017 & that the ‘stros 2019 offense was historically great.
George Springer is no longer in the leadoff spot, but once again the Astros offensive numbers are strong enough to strike fear into the heart of any opposing pitcher.
Houston is the best offense in MLB, here is a breakdown of just how great they have been by the numbers:
· Batting AVG .269 (1st MLB)
· OBP .344 (1st MLB)
· OPS .783 (1st MLB)
· 5.45 Runs per game (1st MLB)
It should also be noted that the Astros have the fewest number of strikeouts in MLB (672).
It has felt at times that Houston is not hitting the home run ball as much as years past, but the bayou city bombers have posted a slugging percentage of .439 (4th MLB) & have hit 116 homeruns.
The best part? Jose Altuve leads the club in HRs with 20 at the halfway point of the season.
3. Circled Matchups on the Schedule
Let’s be real. There is enough sports hate & vexation coming out of Houston to spread from coast to coast (looking at you LA & NY).
Lucky for us, the overpopulated, pompous cities aforementioned have been on the Astros schedule, & the trip to Cali will occur during the second half of this season. Houston will travel west to visit the Dodgers for a quick two game set (Aug. 3rd & 4th).
The crowd will undoubtedly be ready to make themselves look foolish with blow up trash cans, booing Astros players who weren’t around in 2017 & will probably hurl insults in the direction of Jose Altuve who will promptly launch a pitch into the imprudent crowd of blue.
Will Trevor Bauer still be on administrative leave? Will Dodgers RHP Joe Kelley make another baby face and become a hero? Will he emerge from the LA dugout adorning a diaper and bonnet?
Regardless of attire, rest assured Joe will make comments to Correa & then hurriedly move towards his dugout, move towards safety. No matter who is on the field, this will be must-watch television.
Houston currently holds a 3.5 game lead in the AL West over the Oakland A’s. This could be a race to the finish, and if so- the last two weeks of the 2021 season will be a slugfest for playoff positioning. Six of the ‘stros last nine games of the season will come against Oakland, with a three-game series hosting the Rays sandwiched between them.
Who doesn’t love October baseball?
The Astros find themselves in a great spot heading into the second half. MLBs best offense, a surplus of starting pitchers, and what appears to be a willingness to play the villain. If GM James Click can find good value for a trade that strengthens this bullpen, if Houston can get healthy and stay healthy; The word dynasty will once again resurface in H-Town as the Astros will be in position to pursue their third World Series trip & second World Series win in only five years.
And if that happens, in the words of Carlos Correa, “Well what are they gonna say now?”
Tyler Milner is the executive producer of Clint Stoerner & 'The Show' on SportsRadio 610, Monday-Friday from 2-6 p.m. Follow him on Twitter @tmilrealdeal.