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After a slow start, the Houston Astros have slowly clawed away at the Texas Rangers' lead at the top of the AL West. Houston is currently at a season-best 14 games over .500 and the Astros are just one game behind the division leaders.
Injuries have proven costly to the pitching staff, while slow first halves from many of the Astros' top hitters also hindered the team. All signs point to some MLB trade deadline acquisitions in Houston.
The Astros farm system is not the strongest (ranked 27th out of 30 teams), but all of the Astros' top four prospects play in the outfield and Houston has numerous right-handed pitchers among its top 30 minor leaguers.
As for trade needs, first base and DH are areas of concern. Jose Abreu has been better as of late, but with Yordan Alvarez currently on the IL, the Astros desperately need more production at the plate from these spots
The club could also use a fifth starting pitcher. Luis Garcia is out for the year and Jose Urquidy is injured, leaving a massive drop-off. Rookies JP France and Hunter Brown have performed well but are still unproven at the Major League level. A veteran pitcher would be the ideal addition to the Astros' rotation. Here are the players the Astros will be looking to move ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Astros: 4 top prospects Houston could trade at 2023 MLB trade deadline
Colin Barber (OF)
All of the Astros' top four prospects are outfielders, and of that quartet, Colin Barber might be the closest to making the Majors. Injuries have limited Barber to just 174 games in four minor league seasons, but in that span, Barber has a .266 average with 21 homers, 80 RBI, and a .812 OPS. The 22-year-old offers a dangerous combination of power and speed, plus his strong arm helps him excel at all three outfield positions.
Colin Barber's slow progression through the minors currently has him at Double-A, but the young outfielder should be Major League-ready next year.
Misael Tamarez (RHP)
He might not have the best numbers at Triple-A this year (5.57 ERA and 34 walks in 53.1 innings), but teams will nonetheless see value in Tamarez's 99-MPH fastball. The 23-year-old finished second in the Astros organization with 142 strikeouts last year, and while his strikeout numbers are down in 2023, the Dominican hurler pairs his fastball with a mid-80s slider and upper-80s changeup.
The right-hander needs to improve his control to become a legitimate Major League starter, but teams covet the raw talent and athletic ability that Tamarez has, making him a useful trade piece.
Jacob Melton (OF)
Jacob Melton is less than a year into his pro career, but he has already advanced to High-A with the Asheville Tourists. Through 70 games this year, Melton has 16 homers and 35 stolen bases — replicating the skillset he showed at Oregon State. The 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year will need to improve as a contact hitter (.235 average this year), but he has the ability to be a 20-20 (or better) player in MLB.
As the Astros' number two prospect, the 22-year-old lefty holds the most value of any player on this list, making him ideal trade bait moving forward.
Justin Dirden (OF)
In addition to the top four prospects in the Astros farm system being outfielders, six of their top seven minor leaguers also play in the outfield. Justin Dirden is a Major League-ready hitter who hit 24 homers and had 101 RBI plus a .301 batting average across 124 games and Double-A and Triple-A a year ago. The left-handed hitting Dirden crushes right-handed pitching, making him an ideal outfield platoon candidate at the MLB level.
