3 Astros MLB trade deadline mistakes Dana Brown will regret
The Astros got better, but only marginally, and traded a ton of value in the process.
Aug 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown speaks with media before the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Minute Maid Park.
The Houston Astros brushed their brutal start to the season aside and have been performing like one of the best teams in the AL since the start of May to the point where they were able to buy at this year’s trade deadline.
The Astros did buy and got better by acquiring Yusei Kikuchi, but it’s abundantly clear that with the deadline passed, Dana Brown will have regrets when looking back at the job he did. Here are three of the biggest regrets Brown will have in hindsight.
3. The Astros will regret not meaningfully addressing the bullpen
The Astros made two moves around the deadline. The Kikuchi trade generated the most buzz, obviously, but they made a minor deal acquiring Caleb Ferguson in a trade with the New York Yankees.
Had this been over the offseason when Ferguson had the reputation of being a solid left-handed reliever with the Los Angeles Dodgers, that would’ve been an exciting addition. However, Ferguson has a 5.13 ERA in 42 appearances for the Yankees this season. New York, a team competing for a postseason berth themselves, got rid of Ferguson because he was not helping them win. Chances are, if they felt Ferguson was any good, they wouldn’t have let him go, much less to their rivals.
Yes, the Astros should be relying on their three-headed monster of Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly, and Bryan Abreu to close out games in October, and have gotten some strong production from guys like Tayler Scott and Seth Martinez, but if they were going to address the bullpen, why not make it a more meaningful addition?
The Astros did not have to pursue expensive rentals like Carlos Estevez and Tanner Scott. They didn’t even have to pursue controllable arms like Lucas Erceg and Jason Adam. Why not go after a guy like Andrew Chafin, who instead landed with their AL West rivals in Texas? The Astros’ bullpen is not their biggest weakness, but it could’ve been improved. Ferguson isn’t enough of an improvement.
