Astros Expected to Make Surprising Decision at MLB Trade Deadline
The Houston Astros are sitting at 36-42 before playing their final contest of a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.
While they are six games below .500, the Astros are not out of the American League West. Houston, in fourth place in the division, is three games back from the first-place Seattle Mariners.
It’s a winnable division for any team not named the Los Angeles Angels.
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Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros have no plans to trade shortstop Jeremy Peña for first baseman Christian Walker. Houston could make a surprising decision to be buyers before the trade deadline on Aug. 3. The Astros want help for the bullpen and for the lineup.
“The Houston Astros have told teams that they are wasting their time asking about shortstop Jeremy Peña and first baseman Christian Walker,” Nightengale wrote.
“They may be a sub-.500 team, but plan to be buyers at the deadline, not sellers, in a division in which only the Seattle Mariners are above .500. They are searching for bullpen help and a left-handed hitting outfielder.”
Given the Astros’ current record, it might make sense to stand pat at the deadline, but the team appears to want to make an aggressive move to make the postseason.
The Astros made a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night, parting ways with right-handed relief pitcher Jayden Murray. Houston received Double-A first baseman Cameron Sisneros in return for Murray.
Murray was one of the arms struggling in Houston’s bullpen this spring. He had a 7.43 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched this season. The second-year pitcher most recently gave up three hits and two earned runs in 2.0 innings pitched in a 9-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
Per insidethepen.com, the Astros’ bullpen ranks No. 23 with a 4.60 ERA. Houston needs to get better relief pitching help if it wants to win the AL West.
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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 1:04 PM.