Houston Astros target rumored not to be traded

With the Houston Astros back in the AL West title race, they’ll likely be buyers before the July 30 trade deadline.

Their roster is already loaded with star players, so they don’t need to make many upgrades to become true contenders, but like any team chasing a World Series championship, there are areas where the team could improve.

The first is the starting pitcher.

This unit has been decimated by injuries all season, with three of its starters already out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery. But once Justin Verlander returns to the lineup and Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. make their long-awaited returns, these natural additions will provide a boost.

Still, the Astros will scour the market to see who they can acquire to fill a starting spot for the remainder of the year.

Perhaps this team’s biggest need is at first base.

After parting ways with Jose Abreu, they turned to Jon Singleton and star prospect Joey Loperfido at the position. Those players have been solid, hitting a combined nine homers and driving in 38 runs, but Singleton’s 100 OPS+ and 102 wRC+ alongside Loperfido’s 113 OPS+ and 113 wRC+ in a limited sample size leave room for improvement.

That’s where alleged target Vladimir Guerrero Jr. comes in.

The four-time All-Star is hitting .288/.359/.456 with 14 homers and 55 RBIs this season. His 130 OPS+ and 133 wRC+ would make this lineup even scarier, especially considering his Gold Glove defense in the first half.

But the utopian dream that Houston might be able to recruit the superstar appears to be just that.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, the Toronto Blue Jays will begin selling some of their assets, but will retain Guerrero.

Some speculated that they might look to blow it all up and start rebuilding. If that were the case, it would be a great time to trade the slugger, with the market favoring teams that are willing to sell.

Unfortunately for the Astros, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

It wouldn’t hurt for management to do some research on what it would take to get him, but if the Blue Jays aren’t looking to trade him, then it would cost a fortune to pry him away from Toronto, something Houston doesn’t have the luxury of doing right now.

They will likely have to look elsewhere if they want to improve their first base before the deadline.