Yordan trade talk? Not so fast, says GM

ANAHEIM -- With the Trade Deadline less than two months away, speculation has begun to circulate that the Astros could be in a position to try to deal slugger Yordan Alvarez, who leads the Major Leagues with a 1.070 OPS and the American League with 22 homers and 48 RBIs.

Sure, the Astros could get a huge haul by trading away Alvarez, but it’s time to put that speculation to rest.

“We’ve had zero conversations internally about moving Yordan,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said Monday. “Zero.”

You heard the man. Alvarez isn’t going anywhere, and for good reason. Alvarez is in the fourth year of a six-year, $115 million extension he signed four years ago this week. It’s paying him $26 million from 2026-28 -- a bargain, considering Alvarez is the frontrunner for the AL's Most Valuable Player Award.

Plus, Houston is very much still in the postseason race. The Astros were five games out of first place in the AL West and three games out of the AL Wild Card race entering Monday. Houston has gotten two stars -- second baseman Jose Altuve and closer Josh Hader -- back from injuries in the past week, and ace pitcher Hunter Brown could rejoin the rotation next week.

FanGraphs gives the Astros a 4.4 percent chance to win the AL West and a 20.8 percent chance to make the postseason.

“We still feel like we have a strong shot at the division,” Brown said. “You know, we've gone through some injuries, but now other teams are starting to feel some of the pain that we felt, right? And so we feel like we have an opportunity to win the division and go deep into the postseason. So we've had zero discussions internally with our baseball operations about moving Yordan.”

Alvarez is on pace to become the first Astros player since Alex Bregman in 2019 to reach 40 homers (Bregman had 41 that season) and could make a run at Jeff Bagwell’s club record of 47 home runs in 2000. Alvarez was limited to 48 games last season because of injuries, and the Astros missed the postseason by one game.

That ended Houston’s run of consecutive seasons with a postseason berth at eight, but the Astros certainly would have gotten in had Alvarez remained healthy. Ultimately, the club needs Alvarez healthy to make a run.

“We love what Yordan is doing right now,” Brown said. “We love what he's done in his career here. We feel like he's a big part of what we're trying to do going forward, and he's a pillar in our lineup. So, I mean, we're trying to compete this year. We still think we're gonna get to the postseason.”

Alvarez was named AL Player of the Week on Monday for the week of June 1-7, during which he hit .476 (10-for-21) with six runs, a double, two homers, nine RBIs, five walks and a 1.386 OPS. He swatted his fifth career grand slam in Saturday’s win over the A’s, moving him past Bregman and into sixth place in Astros history with 192 homers.

The Astros traded star outfielder Kyle Tucker at the Winter Meetings in 2024 because he had one year remaining on his contract, and it was clear he wouldn't re-sign with Houston. The club could be in a similar position this offseason with shortstop Jeremy Peña, who will be a free agent after the 2027 season, but Alvarez is a generational talent who will be in Houston's lineup for at least the next couple of seasons.

“He makes everyone else that much better,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “The confidence he brings when he is in there every day just makes us that much better psychologically and physically. So keeping him on the field and getting the Yordan that we all know he’s capable of being, it’s imperative for our success.”