Photo: Getty Images
The Astros have more starting pitching than most teams need. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the club is open to trading one of their starting pitchers ahead of the deadline. Here is what Passan says in his latest trade deadline article today.
"One surprising entrant in the category: Houston, which, multiple general managers said, has expressed a willingness to trade from what clearly has been a strength. The Astros currently have six quality major league starting pitchers -- Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Jake Odorizzi and Jose Urquidy. Lance McCullers Jr. is on a rehabilitation assignment and looked excellent in his first start back. And Hunter Brown, a right-hander dominating at Triple-A, is, in the words of one scout, "a real dude."
The Astros, then, have plenty of options, so Urquidy is the most obvious candidate to move. He is 27 years old, is playoff tested and boasts a career 3.69 ERA over 52 games. He'll reach arbitration this winter and would slot in with any big league rotation. Javier, in the midst of a breakout season, and Garcia, who isn't due to hit free agency until after the 2026 season, would cost the most out of anyone in this category in return."
This is something that will be very interesting to watch as the Astros could clearly use one of the pitchers to land another piece that will help the club.
Get our latest thoughts on the Astros at the trade deadline by listening to the Crawford Box-Cast, brought to you by Karbach Brewing.