The Houston Astros are in an interesting spot as a team. With the potentially season-ending injury to Isaac Paredes, general manager Dana Brown swung a huge deal to acquire Carlos Correa at the trade deadline.
But of the teams in the AL West, they weren’t the only ones to make big moves at the deadline. The Seattle Mariners added Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez.
Both the Mariners and Astros made big moves at the deadline, but for Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report, the Mariners’ moves are more impactful than the Astros’ moves, as he predicts the Mariners will win the AL West, beating out the Astros.
“Right now, the Mariners are in control of the second wild-card spot in the AL,” Kelly writes, “but are within striking distance of the Houston Astros in the AL West. We’re predicting that they will usurp the Astros and win their first division title since 2001.”
While the Mariners look poised to make it back to the postseason, thanks to their great pitching and revamped offense, winning the division is a different matter.
But, while the Astros had a decently sized lead earlier in the year, the Mariners are now just 1.5 games back from the Astros. Houston has gone 4-6 in their last ten, while the Mariners are 7-3 in their last ten.
MORE: Astros agree to blockbuster trade with Twins for Carlos Correa
Both are likely to make the postseason, but for Kelly, the Mariners have what it takes to win the division over the Astros. Houston made a few moves, including adding Correa, Jesus Sanchez, and Ramon Urias. But Kelly prefers the Naylor and Suarez pickups.
Houston has some issues offensively and in the pitching staff, but that’s a result of injury, and a lot of their injured players are getting close to returning. Spencer Arrighetti is already back in the rotation, and more are yet to come.
Luis Garcia impressed in his rehab start, and Cristian Javier is also on the cusp of making his 2025 debut. Yordan Alvarez is working his way back, as is Jake Meyers. The team has a couple of holes thanks to injury, but they’re working their way back.
However, Kelly doesn’t believe the Astros will win the division, evident by his prediction that the Mariners will win it over Houston. Despite the Astros having the division lead all year, Kelly predicts that they’ll lose it to the Mariners in the home stretch of the season.
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