The Astros have made all of the major moves that they are going to make this year as far as trading away players goes. But, I could see them dealing Lucas Harrell to a team in need of a decent starting pitcher. The Astros would have to get something decent to be enticed to deal him. Catcher Chris Snyder and infielders Matt Downs or Scott Moore could also be dealt. None of them are going to bring the Astros back much prospect wise. The rebuilding is truly starting this season as they have stripped down the roster to the bare bones. They have no way to go but up.

The Astros are 32-47 on the season, which has them in fifth place in the N.L. Central, 11.5 games behind the Reds. With that in mind, expect the dealing of veterans to commence soon. Here is a look at the players most likely to be dealt:

Chris Snyder - Not too many teams have a need for a veteran backup type catcher. The Nationals might be a match for him.

Carlos Lee - Carlos Lee rejected a deal to the Dodgers, so he’s not likely to accept a deal this summer. The Orioles, Indians, Marlins, Pirates and Brewers would all likely have some interest in him.

Chris Johnson - The Astros don’t have to deal Johnson unless some team blows them away with an offer. The Angels and Dodgers could have some interest in him.

Wandy Rodriguez - Lefty starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is one of the best available in the trade market. The Yankees, Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, White Sox, Indians, Royals, Rangers and Braves all will likely have an interest in him. The Blue Jays have the biggest need for a starting pitcher and they also have some very solid prospects they might be willing to deal.

Brett Myers & Brandon Lyon - Both of these guys will have a limited trade market. The Red Sox, Mets and Phillies will likely have some interest in both of them. The Mets is the best fit, if the Astros can make a deal happen.

The Astros have a new owner but he is likely to stick with the rebuilding plan, at least for now. That means that they won’t be shopping for big time names in free agency. With that in mind, this trio makes perfect sense:

1. Ivan Rodriguez - He is obviously hanging around to chase 3,000 hits. The Astros have had a Black Hole at catcher for years now, so why not give Pudge a chance in 2012.

2. Joel Zumaya - Righty fireballer Joel Zumaya has a huge upside if he can just stay healthy. This would be an outstanding low risk/high reward signing for the Astros.

3. Hideki Okajima - The Astros need a lefty reliever and Okajima might be good in the N.L. because hitters have not seen his unique delivery.

The Houston Astros are going to be busy trying to move players in deals for prospects to help rebuild the roster. The Astros floated Hunter Pence’s name out in trade rumors but they would be stupid to deal him as he is the franchise player. The Astros are trying to deal Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Clint Barmes this week and they should be able to get a good return for each of them providing that they throw in cash in the deals. The Astros would also like to deal Carlos Lee but that’s going to be a hard one to pull off because of his price tag and defense. A few teams (Braves, Indians, Rangers and Nationals) would like to have CF Michael Bourn on their teams, so he can be had for the right price (and he won’t come cheap). The Astros are also willing to trade smaller parts like infielder Angel Sanchez and outfielder Jason Michaels this week. Don’t get discouraged Astros’ fans, the roster they have right now just isn’t very good as a whole.

I have heard names like Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence, Brett Myers and Wandy Rodriguez being bandied around in trade rumors. The Astros are requesting a King’s Ransom for that quartet, as they should, so I don’t think any of them will be leaving Houston this July. I do think the Astros will be able to move infielder Jeff Keppinger. I think they can get rookie 3B Conor Gillaspie and outfielder Darren Ford from the Giants for Keppinger and if that were offered, the Astros would have to take it. Gillaspie would like a fire under Chris Johnson’s butt at 3B and Ford would give the Astros an excellent defensive player to replace Carlos Lee late in games as well as pinch run for him as Ford is lightning fast.

The Houston Astros are going to be sellers at the trade deadline in July. Carlos Lee and Brett Myers are going to be the biggest trade chips the Astros are going to have on the block. The Yankees could use both of those guys and they have a lot of solid prospects including a lot of catchers. Clint Barmes, Angel Sanchez and Jeff Keppinger will also likely be on the trading block in late July. Teams will also be calling about Wandy Rodriguez, Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence but the Astros should say no to almost any deal involving these guys unless they are overwhelmed with the return they could get.

The Astros only have two free agents heading into this winter to decide on and neither of them are an impact player. Here is how I see the Astros handling these decisions:

Brian Moehler: 38-year old righty reliever/starter Brian Moehler pitched in 20 games (8 starts) for the Astros last season and he was 1-4 with a 4.92 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. VERDICT: The Astros should finally wave goodbye to Moehler which is something they should have done a couple of years ago.

Geoff Blum: 37-year old switch hitting infielder Geoff Blum played in 93 games for the Astros last season and he was 54 of 202 (.267 avg, .678 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 2 homers and 22 RBIs. VERDICT: The Astros declined their option for the 2011 season on Blum and it looks like they want to go into a different direction.

Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman are the players worth the most on the open market for the Astros but they shouldn’t sell either of them for pennies on a dollar. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if they were both still on the Astros come August 1st. I would flip Brett Myers to the Twins for 3B Danny Valencia, SS Trevor Plouffe and 2B Alexi Casilla. I would then flip Jeff Keppinger to the Mets for righty reliever Tobi Stoner. If the Astros made those two deals they would start all three of the guys they get from the Twins and Stoner would likely be the new 7th inning man for the Astros. They don’t need to have a firesale….the Astros just need to make quality trades.

The Astros are 32-51 on the season which has them in fifth place in the N.L. Central, 15.5 games behind the Reds. Make no mistake the Astros are going to try to remake their team this month and who could blame them. Looking towards the future I see the Astros putting Roy Oswalt, Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Matt Lindstrom, Brandon Lyon and Lance Berkman on the block. They should get solid returns for each one of those guys. The Astros won’t likely stop there though as Humberto Quintero, Jeff Keppinger, Pedro Feliz, Geoff Blum, Jason Michaels, J.R. Towles, Tim Byrdak and Brian Moehler could also be moved as discount prices. It’s very important that the Astros get a lot of quality back in trades because they came into this season ranked dead last (30th overall) in minor league talent according to Baseball America.

The Houston Astros might embark on a epic firesale soon if they don’t start showing something soon. The Astros have to make sure that they make a lot of phone calls before pulling the trigger on any trades to maximize the return they get especially for the top shelf guys like Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt. Here is a look at who is likely to be availabale and what teams likely have a interest in them as of today:

Roy Oswalt: The Nationals and Mets seem to be the most likely destinations for him.
Lance Berkman: The White Sox, Mariners and Nationals seem the most likely to deal for him.
Wandy Rodriguez: Cardinals, Mets, Nationals
Brett Myers: Cardinals, Mets, Nationals
Pedro Feliz: Twins and Angels
Brian Moehler: Diamondbacks
Jeff Fulchino: Phillies, Marlins, Reds, D-Backs
Tim Byrdak: Rays, Red Sox and D-Backs
Chris Sampson: Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Phillies, Marlins, Reds, D-Backs
Brandon Lyon: Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Phillies, Reds, Cubs, Twins, D-Backs, Brewers
Humberto Quintero: Dodgers
Jeff Keppinger: Tigers and Mets
J.R. Towles: Dodgers
Geoff Blum: Tigers and Mets
Jason Michaels: Angels
Matt Lindstrom: Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Phillies, Reds, Cubs, Brewers, D-Backs

The Astros will likely trade almost all of these guys before July 31st if they don’t start winning some baseball games.