In trading the McCullers, the team should simply keep their sights set on nailing down a solid starting lineup that can get them through to the postseason and eventually the World Series as they fight for a third one, and avoid what happened last year, being eliminated in the Wild Card round by the Detroit Tigers.

With a major-league high nine position players on the injured list — some of whom are weeks away from a return — the Houston Astros are “prioritizing the bats” before next week’s trade deadline, general manager Dana Brown said on Thursday.

The Houston Astros recently sent Isaac Paredes and Lance McCullers Jr. to the injured list, giving the Seattle Mariners a major advantage heading into the trade deadline.