Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown shut down the idea of potentially moving star designated hitter and outfielder Yordan Alvarez with the trade deadline two months away.
"We've had zero conversations internally about moving Yordan," Brown said Monday, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Alvarez is under team control through 2028 after signing a six-year, $115-million extension in 2022 and has been with Houston since making his MLB debut in 2019.
Among the top candidates in the AL MVP race this year, Alvarez leads MLB with a 1.070 OPS while notching 22 home runs and 48 RBIs. His 75 hits are also tied for fourth across the majors. Last season, injuries limited the 29-year-old to just 49 contests, and Houston missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Despite Alvarez's strong start to this campaign, the Astros sit in fourth place in the AL West at 31-37. They remain 4.5 games back of the division-leading Seattle Mariners and outside of the playoff picture.
Injuries to the pitching staff hampered Houston's opening month, but the team has since rebounded and is starting to get healthy. Over the last 30 days, Houston's bullpen has posted a 2.88 ERA, the fifth-best mark in the majors.
"We still feel like we have a strong shot at the division," Brown said. "You know, we've gone through some injuries, but now other teams are starting to feel some of the pain that we felt, right?
"And so we feel like we have an opportunity to win the division and go deep into the postseason. So we've had zero discussions internally with our baseball operations about moving Yordan."
The Astros came back and beat the Los Angeles Angels in extra innings on Monday night to win the opening game of the series.
