The Astros are at risk to not win the AL West this year. They're going to need to part ways with these players if they want to take it from the Rangers.
The Houston Astros have seen a bit of a regression from their 2022 World Series team to their second place in the AL West 2023 team. The Astros sit multiple games behind the Texas Rangers for first place in their division. This kind of struggle should prompt the Astros to be mighty active during the trade deadline.
But, with trade deadline acquisitions, especially as many as the Astros may make, some players will lose their roster spots. This Houston roster may look a lot different on August first than it does right now. But which players could see themselves replaced before the 2023 trade deadline?
Astros rumors: Martin Maldonado's days are numbered in an Astros uniform
This may surprise some fans as Martin Maldonado has been a part of the Astros lineup for the better part of the last four years. And he hasn't ever been an offensive threat for the most part, usually hitting under .200. He has continued that offensive struggle this year, but there is a big key difference between those last few years and this year. The players around Maldonado haven't picked up the slack and the Astros have struggled as a result.
While catcher is seen as a defensive first position, the Astros are going to need a catcher that can do both if they want to make a push at the division. Maldonado is slashing .177/.261/.290 with a near career low .551 OPS. He simply isn't carrying his weight on offense and the Astros don't have the same healthy bats in the lineup to pick up the load.
There are a few options for the Astros. All of them result in acquiring a catcher in a trade deadline deal. Maldonado may still have a place on the Astros roster, depending on if he is able to continue to prove his value to the pitching staff. Though this is the least likely player to lose his spot on this list, Maldonado could be designated for assignment or traded to a potential contender looking for catching depth.
Astros rumors: Rafael Montero won't last in the Astros bullpen
The Astros bullpen, as a whole, has been spectacular this season. The bullpen very well may be their biggest strength. They rank in the top five in the MLB in ERA (3.57), hits allowed (241), walks allowed (108) and home runs allowed (28). But even with this combined dominance, their bullpen has glaring holes. In fact, it's largely being carried by their top-end guys, as the lower-end guys have really struggled in 2023.
One of the players that has struggled, perhaps the most, has been the righty Rafael Montero. Montero currently has a -1.0 WAR and a WHIP near 2.0. His ERA is north of seven and he's suffered three losses this year. His 2023 season has been downright horrible. The Astros need to make a change before Montero continues to pitch them out of games.
One choice they have is to designate him for assignment, but this isn't very likely to happen because he's owed $11.5 million in each of the next two years following 2023. The Astros are going to need to package Montero with a prospect or two in order to get another team to take on his horrible contract. Whatever happens, one thing is certain. The Astros will acquire bullpen arms at the deadline and Rafael Montero is almost certain to go.
Astros rumors: Grae Kessinger will be replaced with a trade acquisition before the deadline
This month, the Astros called up the 25-year-old prospect Grae Kessinger to make his MLB debut and provide them some depth across the infield. Kessinger hasn't been given much of a chance to prove whether or not he is ready for the big leagues, but in his first 14 plate appearances, he's tallied one hit and four free passes.
The young infielder doesn't appear to be a huge difference maker for Houston, which is exactly what they need to chase down the Rangers in the AL West.
The Astros haven't been in this kind of situation at the trade deadline in a few years, where they are trailing in their own division. But 2023 has been much different and this huge difference doesn't allow them to experiment with prospects past the trade deadline. The fact of the matter is the Astros don't have time to find out whether or not Grae Kessinger has what it takes to compete on a postseason roster. They need a player that has proven they are MLB-ready, and this is done through trades.
Kessinger has provided good depth so far and his future appears bright, but the 2023 Astros need contributors right now if they plan on winning back-to-back World Series. Grae Kessinger likely won't last on the roster past the trade deadline.
Astros rumors: Shawn Dubin will be replaced before the deadline
Shawn Dubin put together an impressive start on Sunday against one of the best offenses in the entire league in the Texas Rangers. He put together four competitive innings where he allowed three hits, two walks and one earned run. Dubin also plunked a batter. All in all, against a lineup with four AL All-Star starters, the righty was incredibly effective in his first career start.
But Dubin won't last on the Astros major league roster this year. Houston has bigger aspirations than he could contribute to this year, where they will likely acquire a big-time starter to replace their injured starters Lance McCullers, Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia. This trade acquisition would correspondingly replace Dubin in the Astros rotation.
Dubin doesn't have the track record, statistics, or talent to replace any of the Astros' top four starters this year and if they add a fifth at the deadline, his spot in the rotation is gone. He likely won't shift full-time to the bullpen either, as the Astros bullpen has been incredible and will likely also see trade deadline acquisitions in order to strengthen it even further.
Houston will be one of the most active teams at the deadline and this could spell the end of Dubin's 2023 time with them.
Astros rumors: Bligh Madris may not survive the deadline in Houston
In January of 2023, the Braves acquired Bligh Madris from the Tigers in exchange for cash. Madris has proved to provide the Astros little to no production in his short major league stint. He has only provided the Astros with three starts and only two hits in 15 at-bats. He wasn't much better last year with the Pirates, where he slashed .177/.244/.265 across 39 games in Pittsburgh.
The Astros are going to be active at the trade deadline this year. They have dominated the AL West for the last seven or eight years and they have no intentions to roll over and let the Rangers have the division this year. But in order to catch them, they're going to need improvements. Their lineup, for the most part, is solid. But there are obvious holes, especially right now with Yordan Alvarez out. Acquiring a power bat to replace Madris won't be too hard, as almost any kind of productive bench bat works.
There aren't many question marks about this one. Madris isn't up to the caliber it takes to play on the Astros, especially if they're going to make a playoff push. The Astros will likely end his stint in the MLB here soon with a replacement from the injured list, minor leagues, or from a trade.
