The Astros' Top Trade Candidate is a Pitcher No One is Talking About
Houston Astros reliever Bryan Abreu faced three batters in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 29. He walked two. When one scored on a ground ball against the next pitcher, Bryan King, it was the first run charged to Abreu’s ledger all month.
In spite of his strong May performance, Abreu’s ERA for the season sits at 6.87 through 21 appearances. He is, unfortunately, one of many reasons the Astros have underachieved to begin the season.
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At 27-34, Houston is four games behind the first-place Seattle Mariners in the American League West, and 2.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card berth in a relatively weak league.
It’s too soon to pack in the towel, but the Astros’ path back to the postseason after a one-year absence has been clouded by injuries and disappointing performances.
For the first month of the season, that included Abreu. He allowed two walks, a home run, and three runs in his first appearance of the season back on March 28. After he allowed his fourth homer of the season - in his ninth appearance, on April 17 - Abreu’s ERA sat at 14.73.
It was hardly the performance the Astros needed from Abreu in the wake of an injury to closer Josh Hader. Now that Hader could be less than a week away from returning from the injured list, Abreu is getting back on track as well.
Before his outing against the Brewers, Abreu had racked up two saves, three holds, and two wins out of the bullpen during his bounceback May.
Once Hader returns, Abreu might give the Astros a surplus of bullpen talent - one that could lead them to put a reliever on the trading block.
That pitcher is unlikely to be Hader, who must first assure the Astros that his bout with left biceps tendinitis is behind him. The veteran signed a five-year, $95 million contract in January 2024. He’s still owed $19 million per season through 2028.
Abreu, 29, is in his final year of arbitration eligibility. He’ll hit free agency at a tenuous time for labor negotiations, but his expiring contract makes him an attractive trade target for every contending team in need of bullpen help.
Against this backdrop, Abreu’s expected opponents’ batting average (.202), whiff percentage (32.8) and ground-ball percentage (50) make him an excellent candidate to join a contender’s bullpen in September and October.
That team might not be the Astros. If so, expect Abreu to be their most likely player to change teams before the Aug. 3 deadline.
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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 8:58 PM.