Houston Astros

G.M. Luhnow discusses Astros' trades, battle for first place

Published Jul. 31, 2015 10:03 a.m. ET

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Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow is a transparent figure, unafraid of clearly stating his club's intentions - and he did exactly that on Thursday while discussing the team's acquisitions of outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitcher Mike Fiers.

Clearly, the Astros are 'going for it' in 2015, and why not? They enter play Friday with a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Angels after an impressive sweep of the Halos at Minute Maid Park, their other recent acquisition Scott Kazmir has been brilliant in two starts, and they're only getting stronger now thanks to the Gomez/Fiers trade.

Welcome to the #Astros, @C_Gomez27 and @Fiers64! #HTownPride pic.twitter.com/wtKvcnDx6g
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 31, 2015

#Astros GM @jluhnow addresses media after acquisition of Gomez and Fiers: "We are committed to winning." pic.twitter.com/OFMj254MFf
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 31, 2015

Luhnow said as much when speaking with Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle: “There’s a big premium on winning the division. I think that’s a big reason why we and other clubs are being aggressive. You’re guaranteed a five-game series as opposed to a potentially one-game exit. We saw that last year when Oakland did everything they could to win the division. There’s no guarantees, but we want it bad, and I think our guys are capable of getting it."

He also made the media rounds on Thursday, visiting the TV booth to talk trades and holding court at a media session. Here's his visit to the booth:

And here's the earlier conference with the media:

The Astros' success has been one of the biggest stories this season, and Luhnow is hoping they'll only become more of a top story as the regular season winds down and the division races heat up.

(h/t MLB.com, Houston Chronicle)