Prior to the trade deadline, there were real talks about what the Astros, Rangers and Mariners might do. With the AL West up for grabs and the Rangers in town for a three-game series, it seemed plausible that at least one team would be a buyer.
That one team turned out to be the Astros after the swept the Rangers and the Mariners began their own slide in the standings. Yet, the team that was adamant about being buyers didn’t get the starting pitcher they said they needed and got a bat in Daulton Varsho that was (and remains) completely underwhelming.
No one is going to write anything in the history books about the AL West that is positive. It’s a division that is likely to have every team with a negative run differential at the end of the season. Still, can anyone actually win it?
After the Mariners rolled into Daikan Park this past weekend to take two of three from the Astros, not much has changed. The Rangers dropped three of four to the Angels and two of three in Oakland Sacramento. Meanwhile, the Mariners were already four games back before coming to Houston and as of writing this, they are (checks notes) four games back of the Astros.
It’s not as if the American League is any great juggernaut. There are at least seven teams within two games of the final Wild Card spot including the Rangers who are currently leading that race despite all their troubles. Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland and Seattle, all teams with shots at winning their divisions this season, remain in contention for the Wild Card.
It’s weird out here.
There is a less-then-zero chance the AL West will turn out a division winner that is under .500. At least one Wild Card spot is likely to join them.
For the Astros, they are being held together by spit and chewing gum. They have arguably the best player in baseball and one of the better bullpens. But their margins in the rotation are razor thin with only Peter Lambert, of all people, being the model of consistency. Even ace Hunter Brown is struggling with command at a time when Ronel Blanco is being sent back to the minors, Cristian Javier is not to be trusted, and Hayden Wesneski has been shaky at best.
Behind them they have (checks notes again) Mike Burrows, who was a disaster before being sent down to deal with some kind of injury no one knew about and the No. 9 prospect, Ethan Pecko, who may or may not be ready for the majors. Regardless, with a pair of TBDs in the rotation for the first two games of the Angels series starting Tuesday, Pecko might get his chance whether he’s ready or not.
Then there is the lineup, featuring multiple slumping batters. Yordan Alvarez is still remarkable, but his power numbers have dropped, not helping guys like Jeremy Peña, who went from absolute fire to something much more tepid. There isn’t much to be psyched about at the plate and no one seems to be able to hit with runners in scoring position, Christian Walker’s walk-off heroics over the weekend notwithstanding.
There is ZERO help coming. Nothing in the minors. Nothing off the waiver wires. For better or worse, this is the Astros starting lineup for the foreseable future. If they are going to win the division and stumble ass backwards into the playoffs, they will do it on the relative strength of Yainer Diaz, Isaac Paredes, Varsho, Cam Smith and Taylor Trammell, among others. Nobody is counting on another home run from Nick Allen, but we might need it anyway.
It’s a mess and, honestly, we could have seen it coming. The Riddler had fewer question marks on his blazer than the Astros had with their roster going into the season. After this next series, they will have dropped more starting pitchers on the mound than any team in baseball. Remember Tasuya Imai? Anyone?
Were Alvarez not on a legitimate quest for the first Triple Crown in over a decade, this team might be battling the Angles and A’s for the worst record in this abysmal division. As it stands, they are still favorites to win the division, and they say all bets are off once you get into the postseason, though we wouldn’t recommend any bets on this squad.
They are the best of the worst right now and that’s about the most we can say.
Winning the AL West, though admirable, is no accomplishment in 2026, no matter what the banner that gets hung in the rafters next year might say. But, it’s something we guess.
