HOUSTON – Hey guys, it’s Ari Alexander with the Astros, as they work through 17 straight days with a game. The Astros have expanded their rotation to six starters to help lower some stress on their arms, but will need more as the deadline approaches. We’ll get into that shortly...
INJURY UPDATES
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But first - the injuries:
Lance McCullers, Jr. will have an MRI Friday, but the messaging from GM Dana Brown is ominous. McCullers has suffered a setback and has discomfort during light throwing. MRI results will come out early next week, but signs don’t look good.
Jose Urquidy is on track to return at some point in July, and fortunately, his rehab has been going well and as expected.
Michael Brantley is again hitting in the cage and throwing, per GM Dana Brown.
WHAT THE ASTROS NEED AT THE TRADE DEADLINE
Brown put the priority on adding a bat to the Astros at the deadline, but they will also need a starting pitcher (or two) to eat innings as the Astros chase down the Rangers in the division.
For the most part, you raid teams that are bad, and rent players who are either in their final year, or have one more year of player control. With that in mind, here are the teams the Astros could use as trade partners:
Kansas City Royals
Washington Nationals
Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox
There are several spots the Astros need to look at on the offensive side: first base, since Jose Abreu isn’t hitting, and OF/DH, since you can’t necessarily rely on Michael Brantley to stay healthy.
Here are some options on that side of the ball:
Randal Grichuk, OF, Colorado Rockies: .336 average, 1 HR, 10 RBI, .875 OPS in 110 AB
Grichuk is from the Houston area, getting drafted from Lamar Consolidated HS in 2009 by the Angels (in fact, he went 1 pick before Mike Trout). He missed most of April this year, but has been hitting well in May and so far into June. Of course, there’s Coors effect and his numbers are unsustainable, but he’s been a solid outfielder with some power his whole career. He’s a 2024 free agent, so the prospect cost shouldn’t be all that much.
C.J. Cron, 1B, Colorado Rockies: .228 average, 6 HR, 20 RBI, .703 OPS in 136 AB
Cron has been awful in 2023, but was an All-Star in 2022. He’s a right-handed power hitting first baseman, who has homer years of 25, 28, 29 and 30, all since 2018. Cron is in the same boat as Grichuk, an upcoming free agent who shouldn’t come with much prospect cost.
If the Marlins end up selling, players like Jorge Soler (OF/DH) and Garrett Cooper (1B) are names to watch. James Click talked to the Marlins about Cooper in 2022, but the Marlins were reluctant to deal him. Now, he’s a 2024 free agent. Soler has been good, Cooper is having a down year.
Now, let’s go to starting pitching, where there are a few more options that make sense.
Lucas Giolito, RHP, Chicago White Sox: 3.75 ERA with 76 K in 74.2 IP in 13 starts
Giolito is coming off one of his best starts of the year, but has been inconsistent. A one-time top prospect, Giolito finished Top-11 in Cy Young votes every year from 2019-2021, but had a down year in 2022.
He’s been healthy for six straight seasons, starting at least 29 games in every non-COVID season. If the Astros can get Urquidy back, slotting Giolito in the No. 5 spot would be huge for Houston. The prospect cost would be higher, but one deal that makes sense could be built around Catcher Korey Lee. The White Sox depth chart at that position is very weak, while the Astros seem to have chosen Yainer Diaz over Lee. Houston has Cesar Salazar, Luke Berryhill and others in the system for 2024 and beyond.
Jordan Montgomery, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals: 4.23 ERA with 60 K in 66 IP in 12 starts
The former Yankee has been one of the best pitchers on the awful St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are surprisingly likely to sell at the deadline and Montgomery is a free agent in 2024. St. Louis made an excellent trade at last year’s deadline to get Montgomery, giving up Harrison Bader.
Montgomery would slot into the back end of the Astros rotation, and has two career postseason appearances. Based on his upcoming free agency, the cost will be lower than Harrison Bader. Houston could also add reliever Jordan Hicks in the deal. The Houston-area native throws 103+ and is a free agent at the end of 2023, also. The Cardinals have toyed with making Hicks a starter, which didn’t yield positive results in 2022. Depending on how committed the Astros are to a long-term outfield of Alvarez-Meyers-Tucker with Corey Julks or a player they trade for as a fourth outfielder, Chas McCormick could make sense in the framework of a deal with the Cardinals as they desperately need a solid outfielder -- although I wouldn’t trade McCormick. Pedro Leon also makes sense in a framework here.
WHAT’S NEXT
After the Cleveland weekend, the Astros start a nine-game homestand, hosting Washington, Cincinnati and the New York Mets.
