Astros owner reportedly 'nixed' trade with Twins that would've been a good move

Astros owner reportedly 'nixed' trade with Twins that would've been a good move originally appeared on The Sporting News .

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The Houston Astros are looking to be buyers at this year's trade deadline, especially now that they've re-taken the AL West lead as July came to a close.

But just because they're buying doesn't mean that they can't trade from their big-league roster. A swap of MLB players would make a lot of sense for the Astros. In fact, one such trade nearly happened, according to MLB insider Michael Marino .

Reportedly, the Astros and Minnesota Twins agreed to a swap of Bryan Abreu for Trevor Larnach. But, Astros owner Jim Crane reportedly nixed the trade, missing out on a chance for a good one-for-one swap that would've netted Houston a valuable outfielder.

Astros reportedly miss out on Trevor Larnach thanks to owner Jim Crane

"Sources: The Astros and Twins had agreed to a trade that would send Bryan Abreu to the Twins for Trevor Larnach," Marino reports. "In the 11th hour, Astros owner Jim Crane nixed the trade. It is currently unclear if those talks will be revisited."

While there's still plenty of uncertainty about this report, it's still one that deserves some heavy scrutiny for Crane, for how big a missed opportunity this would be.

Abreu is 29 years old and has a 4.74 ERA this season. He has been a lot better lately, but overall, he's not been the star reliever he once was. Besides, Abreu is hitting free agency after 2026, so selling him now would make sense.

Larnach, meanwhile, is a left-handed-hitting outfielder for the Twins who is 29 years old and under club control through the 2027 season.

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In 91 games in 2026, Larnach has 1.2 bWAR with eight home runs, a .283 batting average, and an .812 OPS. His 128 OPS+ would be a massive addition to the offense in Houston.

So, if Marino's report is correct in that Crane did nix a one-for-one swap of Abreau for Larnach with the Twins, it would be a massive missed opportunity.

The Astros could've traded a reliever with a 4.74 ERA on an expiring contract for a left-handed hitting outfielder with an .812 OPS with one extra year of club control.

While they might've needed to add a reliever in a trade to make up for Abreu's absence in the bullpen, adding Larnach would've been well worth it.

This is one of those reported trades that will be important to come back to after the deadline, as Houston might've missed a huge opportunity to resolve one of their biggest needs (lefty-hitting outfielder) at a very reasonable cost.

More MLB news:

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Phillies intrigued by Blue Jays trade idea for Jeff Hoffman and Daulton Varsho

Yankees linked to Padres for potential rotation for bullpen swap

Diamondbacks linked to Nationals ’ Luis Garcia Jr. as perfect trade fit

Red Sox predicted to trade for Tigers ’ Gleyber Torres at deadline

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