What do the Houston Astros have up their sleeves ahead of the MLB trade deadline?

With less than two weeks until the MLB trade deadline, the Houston Astros enter August as apparent buyers in their attempts to repeat as World Series champions.

General manager Dana Brown has told the media that the club will specifically be looking for starting pitching help and a lefty bat. With that information on hand, several pundits have tossed out potential trade candidates for Houston ranging from the everyday to the far-fetched.

Per recent reports, the Astros have "checked in" on Cubs' stars Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger. The Athletic's Jim Bowden takes this rumor one step further and proposes an actual trade for Stroman and/or Bellinger.

It would be reasonable for the Cubs to ask for righty starter Brandon Bielak off their major-league club and one of their top prospects, such as 22-year-old outfielder Drew Gilbert, Houston's first-round pick last year, who would become the headliner for Chicago. Throw in a couple of lower-level prospects and perhaps a deal in this range would work.

Stroman and Bellinger could give Chicago tremendous returns given Stroman's sparkling 2.88 ERA this season and Bellinger's Comeback Player of the Year-caliber campaign.

Astros rumored interest in trade targets Cody Bellinger, Marcus Stroman, Dylan Cease, Luis Robert Jr.

But just in case those two names won't get Astros fans giddy enough with excitement, two other high-profile players are also reportedly on Houston's radar.

White Sox ace Dylan Cease and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. could be up for sale, and if Houston whiffs on the Cubs' targets, they may go all-in on Cease and Robert instead.

Cease, the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up, appears to be a firm downgrade from Stroman: he holds a 4.18 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. Robert, on the other hand, is enjoying an uber-productive season having earned his first All-Star nod and hit 27 homers on the year.

Both Cease and Robert are in their mid-20s and can become centerpieces on their future teams; if traded, they will command a massive haul.

From the Astros' perspective, pitching may be the slightly higher priority. Houston suffered tough losses in season-long injuries to Lance McCullers and Luis Garcia, and their rotational pieces (Javier, Brown, France, Bielak) don't inspire much confidence.

How far are the Astros willing to go to catch up to the Rangers in the AL West? These next few weeks should provide more answers.