Astros Must Aggressively Pursue Pitching Help To Overcome Rough Start

The Houston Astros are going to continue falling in the standings if they don't address their pitching woes.

Mar 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown talks on the field before the game against the New York Mets at Daikin Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have become synonymous with slow starts over the last few years.

They've had a losing record through April 20 in each of the last four years, and they're on pace to extend that streak following this year's 5-7 start.

The Astros currently have the worst offense in baseball with a team slash line of .208/.293/.291, ranking dead last in slugging percentage and OPS.

A painfully slow start at the plate has been offset a bit by some strong performances on the mound, where Houston has an excellent one-two punch of Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown leading the way.

They've both been excellent out of the gate with matching 0.6 WARs through three starts apiece.

Hayden Wesneski has also been solid in his first two starts with a 3.75 ERA, but there are some serious concerns with the Astros' starting rotation beyond those three.

Spencer Arrighetti’s sophomore campaign has been derailed by a freak accident. He broke the thumb on his pitching hand after being hit by a line drive while playing catch during pregame warmups.

Ronel Blanco (0-1, 9.45 ERA) has crashed back to Earth, regressing after an excellent 2024 campaign.

Unfortunately for Houston, several injured hurlers look like they will be sidelined longer than anticipated.

Luis Garcia was moved to the 60-day injured list after inflammation was found in his surgically repaired elbow. There was some hope that he'd be ready for Opening Day, but he won’t be eligible to return before the end of May.

Cristian Javier won’t be in the mix until at least after the All-Star break following Tommy John surgery last year. JP France, who underwent surgery on his shoulder last July, may not pitch at all in 2025.

Lance McCullers Jr. is moving through his rehab successfully, but he hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since 2022 and is almost certainly going to have some sort of innings limit should he remain healthy enough to contribute.

That makes the Astros a prime candidate to swing a trade for a starting pitcher ahead of the trade deadline, as it is a clear need that has developed early in the season.

However, there is one potential issue the franchise will have to overcome if they go shopping near the top of the market: their lack of high-end prospects. Cam Smith is their only top-100 prospect, but he's already in the Major Leagues and likely isn't for sale.

If they are negotiating with rebuilding teams, it is going to be a tough sell not having blue-chip prospects to offer in a deal. But they have to search high and low for help if they want to keep their playoff streak alive and potentially win a fifth straight AL West title.

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