New MLB Trade Rumors on MVP Favorite Yordan Alvarez as Astros Near Last in AL West Standings

Despite sitting near the bottom of the American League standings with a 28-25 record and fourth place in their own division, the Houston Astros don't seem likely to enter a full-scale rebuild by dealing Yordan Alvarez during the season.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the feeling among opposing executives is the Astros won't shop Alvarez prior to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Since winning the World Series in 2022, the Astros have been trending in the wrong direction. Their win total has gone down every season since, though they have finished over .500 in each of those years prior to 2026.

This season is on pace to be the Astros' worst since 2014 when they finished 70-92. They also have the fourth-worst run differential in the AL at minus-35, ahead of only the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels.

Adding to the issues is that there's not a lot of hope on the horizon in Houston. The Astros have the worst farm system in the league, with MLB.com noting coming into the season they didn't have a top-100 prospect.

Alvarez is the one major piece on the roster the Astros could dangle in a trade that would bring back a potential franchise-changing haul. He is under contract for two years beyond this season and is owed a total of $53.6 million.

For all of the issues in Houston this season, Alvarez is a clear bright spot. The 28-year-old is having an MVP-caliber year with a .316/.426/.649 slash line and 21 homers in 62 games.

Alvarez leads the AL in batting average and homers, while his .649 slugging percentage leads all of MLB. His age combined with the offensive ability would make him a game-changer in a playoff race for a contending team.

The Astros don't appear inclined to wave the white flag by making Alvarez available, but there is still two months before the deadline that could change their mind if things spiral further out of control.