With less than four weeks until the Aug. 3 trade deadline, the Houston Astros are still shopping for the same thing everyone knows they need: a left-handed outfield bat. General manager Dana Brown has been blunt about it, and the shuffle of bodies through left and center this season has not exactly hidden the problem. As Houston stumbles into the second half hovering around .500, the outfield bats have not kept up their end of the deal.
Brown: 'Main need' is a left-handed bat
At Nationals Park, Brown did not bother with subtlety. He said, "I’ve said it multiple times, we need a left-handed bat, because we need more offense in the outfield." As reported by the Houston Chronicle, Brown labeled adding a left-handed outfielder as "our main need" heading into the deadline.
Roster shakeup reflects the hole
The roster churn has already started. Houston briefly hit the reset button in the outfield last week, optioning Jake Meyers and Joey Loperfido to Triple-A Sugar Land while recalling LaMonte Wade Jr. and Zach Dezenzo in search of a jolt. Those moves, which underlined how unsettled the outfield picture has become, were reported via the Associated Press and republished on Fox Sports.
Deadline targets and whispers
The rumor mill is already warming up. Veteran insider Bob Nightengale has linked Houston to a couple of left-handed outfielders, reporting that the Astros have shown "strong interest" in Colorado outfielders Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy. Those notes have bounced around national sites, but the buzz has not turned into anything concrete yet. No formal offers have been confirmed, according to Yahoo Sports.
Mix of trades and internal fixes
Brown has also kept one eye on the farm system, leaving open the possibility that the answer could already be in-house. He mentioned Triple-A outfielder Lucas Spence as a potential call-up, while emphasizing that a trade would deliver more immediate and proven help. Through 94 games the Astros were 46-48 and, per the Houston Chronicle, had already started nine different players in left and six in center as their outfielders combined for a .670 OPS, a breakdown that explains Brown's urgency.
The one area that has calmed down is the bullpen. Closer Josh Hader's return from left biceps tendinitis has stabilized the late innings, as outlined by MLB.com. The relief corps may be settling in, but until Brown lands that elusive left-handed outfield bat, the Astros' lineup card will keep looking like a work in progress.
