The Houston Astros have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball if we look at their win-loss record.
With a 12-22 record and two consecutive losses (not to mention a mediocre 5-5 record in their last 10), they have been bad to open the year, plain and simple.
At the moment, they are just half a game removed from the last spot in the AL West (occupied by the 12-23 Los Angeles Angels) and seven games out of first place, held by the Texas Rangers.
While their pitching staff has been horrible in the first month and some of their offensive stars are ice-cold, it’s probably too early for any team to declare their deadline approach.
That’s certainly what Astros general manager Dana Brown thinks, but he added another reason why he doesn’t see his team selling assets at the deadline: in his words, they are too good.
“‘No. No, I can’t envision that. This ballclub is too good.’ – Astros GM Dana Brown on if he envisions a scenario where the team is a seller,” MLB Now tweeted.
“No. No, I can’t envision that. This ballclub is too good.”
– Astros GM Dana Brown on if he envisions a scenario where the team is a seller#MLBNow | #Relentless pic.twitter.com/0kEEULJUoW
They just might be, in reality.
Yes, the Astros have been around for a while and even the best dynasties eventually flame out.
But they still have Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Yainer Diaz, and Jeremy Pena, among other talented hitters.
Bregman (.552 OPS) and Alvarez (.766 OPS) have been quieter than expected, but they are too talented to keep struggling for long.
As for the pitching, injuries have bitten the unit hard.
They recently got Justin Verlander back, though, and more could follow him.
It’s not a particularly talented or deep unit, but the Astros are too smart of an organization not to figure out what’s wrong and apply corrective measures.
They still have time, so the most likely scenario is that they look more competitive in the next few weeks.