• Astros finish in last place in the AL West - YES
• Astros have the worst record in the American League - YES
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season - YES
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season - YES
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season - YES
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Astros lose 100 or more games - NO
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) - YES
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs - NO
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 - YES
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season - NO
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games - NO
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds - NO

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West - NO
• Astros have the worst record in the American League - YES
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season - YES
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season - NO
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season - YES
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Astros lose 100 or more games - NO
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) - YES
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs - NO
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 - YES
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season - NO
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games - NO
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds - YES

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West - YES
• Astros have the worst record in the American League - NO
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season - YES
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season - NO
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Astros lose 100 or more games - NO
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) - YES
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs - NO
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 - NO
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season - NO
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games - NO
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds - NO

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West - No
• Astros have the worst record in the American League - No
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season - No
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season - No
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season - No
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season - No
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season - No
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season - No
• Astros lose 100 or more games - No
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) - No
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs - No
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 - Yes
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season - Yes
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games - Yes
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds - No

Astros finish in last place in the AL West YES
Astros have the worst record in the American League NO
Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season YES
Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season YES
Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season YES
Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
Astros lose 100 or more games NO
Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) NO
Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs NO
Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 YES
Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season NO
Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games NO
Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds NO

More crap for clicks.

ESPN has the Astros panic-meter score at 4 on a 1-5 scale.

Ya, mine is at a 10. pic.twitter.com/IPGrMOoDh6

— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) April 29, 2026

This one made me laugh.

https://t.co/hPgm2lHKTN pic.twitter.com/BddY27D1vs

— astrosmemes (@astrosmemes_) April 29, 2026

agproducer said:

---

More crap for clicks.

ESPN has the Astros panic-meter score at 4 on a 1-5 scale.

Ya, mine is at a 10. pic.twitter.com/IPGrMOoDh6

— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) April 29, 2026

---

Not a fan of the pencil neck, but he's right.

agproducer said:

---

More crap for clicks.

ESPN has the Astros panic-meter score at 4 on a 1-5 scale.

Ya, mine is at a 10. pic.twitter.com/IPGrMOoDh6

— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) April 29, 2026

---

Why would there be panic? We all know October isn't in the cards this year

I'd say the panic will set in after the deadline if Dana doesn't get returns on some guys

linkdude said:

---

Ethan Frey 2 run HR for Asheville! His first HR of the season! #Astros pic.twitter.com/ybpALEblh3

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) April 29, 2026

---

Unfortunately he's otherwise been trash. Hopefully he gets it together now

agproducer said:

---

Everyone in the division -- other than the As are below .500 -- so I'm choosing to remain positive.

Pitching is starting to stabilize a bit, even though offense has fallen off. But -- this team isn't dead yet. There are too many good pieces.

When Pena gets back -- that will provide a boost. OF is still trash. Jake, Lopes and Trammell won't be saviors, but they'll be better than what we are putting out in the field right now. Brice should go back down to AAA where he can play every day.

When Brown and Hader get back -- that will also be a boost. Imai and Javier -- I have no idea what we are going to get -- but it will likely be better than running Weiss and the other also-rans out there every 5 days.

If they aren't at or close to .500 by Father's Day -- then you consider selling. But at this point, keep pushing forward and see if they can right the ship.

---

This is way too much rational thought for this thread! lol. Thanks for helping me step a little further back from the ledge.

And -- the Astros couldn't have done this for help?

OFFICIAL: We’ve traded INF Tyler Fitzgerald to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. pic.twitter.com/ETnlLcU3Iz

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 29, 2026

agproducer said:

---

And -- the Astros couldn't have done this for help?

OFFICIAL: We’ve traded INF Tyler Fitzgerald to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. pic.twitter.com/ETnlLcU3Iz

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 29, 2026

---

It's the Dodgers. Did they defer the cash?

HB for Arias, Eyanson, and Tolle. Let's do this!

Garrett Crochet placed on 15-day IL with left shoulder inflammation.

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) April 29, 2026

Ag_07 said:

---

Why would we?

We don't particularly need IF help. Plus if we're sellers no need to go spending money on scrub IFers.

---

He plays 2B, SS and OF.

MaxPower said:

---

HB for Arias, Eyanson, and Tolle. Let's do this!

Garrett Crochet placed on 15-day IL with left shoulder inflammation.

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) April 29, 2026

---

Then trade Pena to Detroit for Jobe and Pacheco

Well the Astros can't lose today...Game banged today. DH tomorrow

I'm bored so started digging into stats for this year's draft. A lot of college OFer's are expected to go in the middle to late first where we have two picks so though I'd breakdown those positions. The main case I'm going to make here is why we shouldn't be drafting one of these guys in the first, which is a piggyback onto my previous comments about college hitters not being as safe as one might think. I've included some advanced stats that basically categorize into swing decisions, contact ability, and slugging capabilities and highlighted red (bottom 40th %), orange (41-80th %), and green (81+ %) just to help visualize. I also have the hitters in roughly the order they are projected to go.

First, Gracia appears to be legitimately ranked as the best of these hitters with no real holes and both great swing decisions and batted balls. However, he will almost certainly be gone before we pick (likely top 10). He serves as a sort of baseline for what you are looking for because if you look at just his AVG, OBP, OPS, etc. he may look similar to a lot of the other first round OF's.

Burress is....ok. He gets dinged a big for being a righty though. However, Curiel looks like a better bet if you are determined to take one of these guys in the first with his only issue being pull air %, which we have seen guys capable of developing over time (see Raleigh last year) plus he is more likely to stick in CF.

The other guys projected to go in the first, despite their greater averages, OPS, etc. have some serious questions. They all make varying degrees of poor swing decisions and whiff at a high rate. I'd avoid all of them.

Now the case for not taking any of these guys is in the last 3 hitters. Beck's only hole is some chase, but I will give him a little slack in that he still hits balls out of the zone fairly well and doesn't miss in the zone. Add to that he's very likely to stick in CF and is a lefty bat and he seems to clearly be the better value in spite of playing in a small program.

Ty Head is the one that really shocked me. He is pretty elite across the board in swing decisions, contact rates and walk rates. His power is so-so but he does a decent job of pulling the ball and given his size (6-3, 205) you may be able to squeeze a little more out of him. He also has a decent chance of sticking in CF.

Last is Ferraro. He's definitely the worst defensive player of the bunch (probably goes to 1B) but highlights that you can get an elite bat even in the 4th. His teammate Hughes gets more praise but Ferraro is a much better value with the highest xWOBA of all these hitters.

I'd be perfectly content to load up on HS guys and pitchers in the first and second then go after guys like Head and Ferraro in the 3rd and 4th.

CharleyKerfeld said:

---

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS Yes or No

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West NO
• Astros have the worst record in the American League NO
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season YES
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season NO
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season YES
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Astros lose 100 or more games NO
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) YES
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs NO
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 YES
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season NO
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games NO
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds NO

Note: If any of the trades or firings happen before you put your picks in, you still get credit for them if you pick them right because IDGAF.

---

My picks. TIA

~egon

Game postponed tonight

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West NO
• Astros have the worst record in the American League NO
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season YES
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season NO
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season YES
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Astros lose 100 or more games NO
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) NO
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs YES (only because I want the pot to be larger lol)
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 YES
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season NO
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games NO
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds NO

EastCoastAgNc said:

---

The D said:

---

Game postponed tonight

---

The baseball gods did a mercy flush on the game tonight.

---

I'd say good timing for some team-building activities, but knowing our luck that could go badly.

Christian Walker, come on down! AJ Ewing would be my target. Unfortunately the Muts don't have very interesting pitching but I will take a better solution in CF

The Mets could have interest in acquiring a big bat via trade 👀

(w/ @JonHeyman) pic.twitter.com/Qtwu7muQVG

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) April 29, 2026

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West NO
• Astros have the worst record in the American League NO
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season YES
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season NO
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season YES
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season NO
• Astros lose 100 or more games NO
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) YES
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs NO
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 YES
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season NO
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games NO
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds NO

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West - NO
• Astros have the worst record in the American League - NO
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season - NO
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season - NO
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season - NO
• Astros lose 100 or more games - NO
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) - NO
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs - YES
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 - YES
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season - YES
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games - YES
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds - NO

ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS Yes or No

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West - No
• Astros have the worst record in the American League - No
• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season - Yes
• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season - No
• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season - No
• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season - Yes
• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season - No
• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season - No
• Astros lose 100 or more games - No
• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59) - No
• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs - No
• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026 - Yes
• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season - Yes
• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games - Yes
• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds - No

• Astros finish in last place in the AL West
- No

• Astros have the worst record in the American League
- No

• Joe Espada gets fired before the end of the regular season
Yes

• Dana Brown gets fired before the end of the regular season
No

• Jeremy Pena gets traded before the end of the regular season
Yes

• Isaac Paredes gets traded before the end of the regular season
No

• Hunter Brown gets traded before the end of the regular season
No

• Josh Hader gets traded before the end of the regular season
Yes

• Astros lose 100 or more games
No

• Dodgers finish with 45+more wins than the Astros (LA current pace 108, Houston 59)
Yes

• Yainer Diaz hits 10+ home runs
No

• Jose Altuve hits .250 or higher in 2026
Yes

• Astros team ERA is lower than 5.25 at the end of the season
No

• Tatsuya Imai wins 4 or more games
Yes

• Bryan Abreu gets 10 or more saves / holds

No