The 2004 Astros were one of the most talented teams we’ve seen in Houston. The offseason acquisitions of Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens gave the team an impressive rotation trio with Roy Oswalt. The offense had Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman and Jeff Kent. Then GM Gerry Hunsicker made a blockbuster trade in late June to acquire Carlos Beltran.
On June 24, a three-team trade went down involving the Astros, Royals and Athletics. The Astros sent reliever Octavio Dotel to the A’s and catcher John Buck to the Royals.