Why Astros should follow 2021 Cubs blueprint with trade deadline sell-off
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Why Astros should follow 2021 Cubs blueprint with trade deadline sell-off originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Astros are having a rough 2026 season, with a 20-31 record far from ideal for a team that came into the season as a playoff contender.
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Now, a sell-off at the MLB trade deadline might be the next course of action for the Astros. While it would be a disappointing way for the season to pan out, it might not actually be all that bad.
ESPN's David Schoenfield presented a blueprint for the Astros to follow, in the 2021 Chicago Cubs, that could lead to a successful sell-off this season while still keeping some key players for the near future.
Astros should follow 2021 Cubs trade plan at 2026 deadline
"Lesson: Don't be afraid to trade away key players who were once part of a championship team," Schoenfield writes.
That's the plan the Cubs used at the 2021 trade deadline, where they shipped off Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Joc Pederson, and Kris Bryant. But they kept Ian Happ and Willson Contreras, who were key assets for them after the deadline sell-off.
There are some key players within the Cubs organization, like Pete Crow-Armstrong and Daniel Palencia, who came over in those trades.
For the Astros, they have a few players who are similar to trade assets they should consider trading this year.
MORE: Ex-MLB GM projects White Sox to sell at trade deadline despite 2026 success
Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes, Josh Hader, and Jeremy Pena are four good players who the Astros should consider trading this season to follow the Cubs blueprint.
All four are under club control beyond 2026, so the Astros might be able to bring a better return than the Cubs did for their players, who were in the final years of their club control.
With the Astros likely heading towards the deadline as sellers, instead of shipping everyone off, which would include Yordan Alvarez and Hunter Brown, they should keep those two, but trade the others to rebuild while still keeping a few key players.
This 2021 Cubs blueprint is a good one for the Astros to follow, as they could sell off some players for strong returns at the deadline, while still keeping a few of their key players like Alvarez and Brown long-term.
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