Astros' trade deadline targets suggest they smell Mariners' blood in water

We've written ad nauseam about how things go wrong so often for the Mariners, that this extends to when a situation is seemingly set up for them to succeed and they still somehow screw it up. Well, this season is teetering on the edge of becoming a prime example, and the Astros have been circling closer and closer. And if USA Today's Bob Nightengale is correct, the M's most hated division rivals are getting ready to strike.

After a decade of dominance by the Astros in the AL West, last season was meant to represent a changing of the guard. The Mariners won their first division title since 2001, while their rivals missed the playoffs for just the second time in the past 11 years. Unfortunately for fans in Seattle, their team is struggling to win consistently so far in 2026, and the Astros are primed to take advantage.

Astros unfazed and prepared to shake up the AL West

Nightengale has reported the Astros badly need an outfielder and are showing strong interest in Rockies duo Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy. However, what should really concern Mariners fans, is the MLB insider also notes the Astros "plan to be in the Tarik Skubal and Sonny Gray sweepstakes".

Talk about burying the lede! The Astros are aiming to add either the two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner or a three-time All-Star who's projected to have a career-low 2.61 ERA. Certainly you can appreciate this ambition, given they are ranked third-worst in the majors in team ERA by starting pitchers, but this is a bad team right?! ... Right?!?!

Well, that's just it. The Astros might well be 46-48 and projected for their fewest wins since 2014, but they have the good fortune to play in arguably the weakest division in baseball. A division in which the Mariners are -- at least on paper -- the strongest, but are themselves just 47-45 and tenuously holding onto the lead in the AL West.

The Astros should have been all but dead and buried by the Mariners at this point. When Houston lost three of four games in Seattle in mid-May, they dropped to 17-28. The M's were 5.0 games ahead of them and had already clinched the head-to-head season series, but have failed to go on and deliver the killer blow.

Mariners' mindset apparently in stark contrast to the Astros

Since that series the Astros have gone 29-20, while the Mariners have continued to tread water and remain around the .500 mark. Why wouldn't the Astros look to improve their chances of competing, especially with the M's looking like fish bait?

Making this situation seem even more concerning, is something else Nightengale wrote in the same article. More specifically, that the Mariners are not expected to be ultra-aggressive at the trade deadline. With them clearly needing bullpen help and a right-handed bat who can hit lefites, such an approach would be verging on insanity.

Now add in that this would be in stark contrast to what the Astros are planning, and it's entirely understandable if Mariners fans are unnerved. This season is a prime opportunity for the M's to finally break through and make their first ever World Series, especially with the AL looking so underwhelming overall. It's now up to them to prove they aren't going to repeat past behavior and somehow screw it up.

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