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12 hours ago
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The Houston Astros are struggling a little bit lately. They have watched their lead in the American League West shrink to 3 1/2 games. Not only are the Seattle Mariners right on their tails, but so are the red-hot Texas Rangers.
Houston has been banged up all season, having dealt with multiple key injuries. The trade deadline is in two days, and they have needs to address.
One need for the Astros is a bat. There will be a few options available in the coming days.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report proposed the idea of Houston targeting Baltimore Orioles slugger Ryan O'Hearn.
"Plenty of teams could use a left-handed bat, though, most desperately the Houston Astros. And at a pro-rated cost of less than $3 million the rest of the way, none of the remotely legitimate buyers is going to balk at the price tag," Miller wrote.
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O'Hearn has cooled off a bit in recent weeks, but was named an All-Star starter for the American League. He is still hitting .284/.375/.452 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI, a 2.0 WAR and an .827 OPS.
The Astros could use a little bit of help offensively. A left-handed bat certainly wouldn't hurt them down the stretch.
O'Hearn could be just what they need to increase their lead in the AL West and capture yet another division crown. The 32-year-old slugger also won't be too expensive, so it won't cost Houston, or whichever team acquires him a fortune to land him.
He is a free agent at the end of the 2025 season, so he would be a pure rental if acquired. The Orioles are well out of contention, while the Astros have a chance to make a run this October.
We'll see if O'Hearn is on their list of targets.
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