Could Houston Astros Be Convinced To Trade Away An Ace?

The Houston Astros don't have to trade away their stars at the MLB trade deadline, but the right offer may get them to listen.

May 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez (59) sets to pitch against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros season hasn't gone the way that anyone planned and it could lead to them doing the unthinkable: selling at the MLB trade deadline.

ESPN Insider Jeff Passan mentioned the possibility that Houston could end up going all out and trading away stars Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez at the trade deadline. While it's not the most likely outcome, there would need to be a team that makes an offer that they can't refuse.

There is a team that both needs starting pitching help in the search for a World Series ring and has the farm system to make an offer worth the Astros' time, the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore recently lost two starters for the season due to injury, John Means and Tyler Wells. They currently sit with the fourth-best record in baseball and have a number of top prospects that the Astros would want.

Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo seem to be the names that will be hard to pry away from the organization. That still leaves plenty of talent in players like Heston Kjerstad, Enrique Bradfield Jr., Connor Norby and Dylan Beavers. Pitchers Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott could be gaining ground as well.

Kjerstad is the top-ranked prospect in that bunch, coming in at No. 21 overall in the MLB pipeline.

He's a bit older at 25, but could potentially play right away as well as showing room for growth. The left-handed bat is currently tied for the minor league lead for home runs with 14 while also slashing .325/.412/.669. His short stint in the majors this season didn't go nearly as well, but it shouldn't drop him down too much.

Any trade that the Orioles make this season for a top player would likely have to include his bat.

Both pitchers listed also lead the minors in strikeouts by a large margin. McDermott leads the way with 82 and Povich is in second with 75. The next highest players are tied with 65.

Houston certainly doesn't have to trade away Valdez in the middle of the season. He still has another year under contract. They could wait until the offseason which is when most trades of this nature happen.

If the Orioles really wanted to, though, they could make an offer that would be worth Houston's time if things continue to go poorly this season.

The southpaw is still a very talented pitcher despite some early struggles this season. If you were to take away the game in which he got shelled against the Los Angeles Angels, his ERA would still be sub-3.00.

That level of talent being traded away could set you up well for the future if handled the correct way.