After losing lineup cornerstones Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman this offseason, it’s no surprise that the Houston Astros’ offense has taken a step back in 2025.
The club currently ranks just 23rd in Major League Baseball with 84 runs scored, a steep drop off from placing 11th in 2024. The ‘Stros also rank in the bottom third of the league in batting average, home runs and OPS and don’t have a single player with an OPS above .750. While veterans Yanier Diaz (.404 OPS) and Christian Walker (.156 average) are certain to get going at some point, the Astros’ lineup imbalance looks to be a major problem. Manager Joe Espada frequently trots out seven or even eight right-handed hitters on a given night and has yet to receive a home run from a left-handed hitter besides Yordan Álvarez.
Thanks to some dominant performances on the mound, however, the Astros have still managed to hover around the .500 mark and are just two games back from first place in a crowded American League West. The Astros have more than enough talent to compete for a division title, but it’s hard to see them doing anything more with such little production from left-handed hitters, which is why ESPN’s David Schoenfield believes they may target Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe.
“(Lowe) is a potential free agent with a club option for 2026 that the Rays may not want to pick up,” wrote Schoenfield. “The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are possible fits — at least if the Astros continue playing Jose Altuve in left field — and maybe the New York Mets, either at second base (with Jeff Mcneil going to center field) or DH.”
Despite playing 19 of their first 22 games at home, the Rays currently possess a 9-13 record and sit in last place in the American League East. If they are unable to keep up with the contenders at the top of the division, the Rays could once again look to sell off their impending free agents, and Lowe, who hit 39 home runs in 2021, could fetch the biggest return. He has hit at least 20 homers in three of the last four seasons, and though he is off to a relatively slow start in 2025, the advanced metrics point to some impending positive regression.
As Schoenfield points out, there will be competition for Lowe’s services in a trade market that is unlikely to feature many standout hitters, but his best fit may be in Houston. Not only do the Astros need a left-handed hitter, but he would prove to be an immediate upgrade over current second baseman Brendan Rodgers, who has posted a measly .586 OPS without a home run through his first 13 games.
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