In 2025, the Houston Astros’ lineup had a problem. The club finished with just 670 plate appearances by left-handed hitters, the second fewest in the majors. On top of that, those scant opportunities for lefty bats produced a league-worst .653 OPS.
Part of the deficiency was due to the numerous injuries suffered by Yordan Alvarez. Typically one of the most dangerous hitters in the game, Alvarez was limited to just 199 plate appearances last year. To their credit, the Astros attempted to rectify this imbalance by acquiring lefty-swinging outfielder Jesús Sanchez at the trade deadline.
Sanchez logged 160 plate appearances down the stretch for Houston. It didn’t fully bring equilibrium to the lineup, but his addition at least added some diversity. However, Sanchez did little to raise the performance of the club’s minuscule left-handed contingent, hitting just .199/.269/.342 along the way.
Astros traded Jesús Sanchez for Joey Loperfido, but are still seeking left-handed help
With a $6.8 million salary, Sanchez had been thought of as a trade candidate while the club desperately tried to create breathing room against the luxury tax. That trade finally came in the form of a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays that reunited Houston with Joey Loperfido.
The Astros had done nothing to improve their balance and add a true threat pair with Alvarez from the left side this winter. The only serious foray into adding a lefty bat they made before the Sanchez trade was a failed play for Brendan Donovan, who instead wound up with the division rival Seattle Mariners.
If anything, Houston made the situation worse after parting with promising outfielder Jacob Melton in the Mike Burrows trade. Melton had been the club’s No. 2 prospect behind Brice Matthews, and as a left-handed hitter, could have provided an alternative to Sanchez. Thankfully, Houston got a lefty bat they are very familiar with in Loperfido to help cover for the deficiency while ridding themselves of some salary in the process.
As the Astros began their workouts in West Palm Beach, they probably found that the only potential option as a left-handed hitter (other than Alvarez) to make the Opening Day roster was 25-year-old Zach Cole.
Cole put together a stunning display last September in his first taste of big league action, slashing .255/.327/.553 with four homers, but that came in just 52 plate appearances. The youngster also struck out an alarmingly-high 38.5% of the time, which is unfortunately par for the course for him after posting a combined 35.1% K-rate last season between stints at Corpus Christi and Sugar Land.
The Astros’ near-failure to add a true threat from the left side almost meant that they would’ve had no other choice but to give Sanchez every opportunity to get through his issues. Now, that pressure is on Loperfido to fill that role, instead, although Houston may not be done making moves even now.