Houston Astros Addition of Graveman Likely the Start of Very Busy Days Ahead

The Houston Astros appear to be aggressively active once again heading into this season's MLB trade deadline. What's next as Aug. 1 looms?

The Houston Astros parted ways with their No. 5 prospect in catcher Korey Lee on Friday in exchange for former Chicago White Sox pitcher Kendall Graveman, who returns to Houston after originally being traded to the team at the deadline in 2021.

Graveman, a 32-year-old right-handed reliver, has a 3-4 record thus far in 2023 (45 games, 44.0 innings pitched) with a 3.48 ERA, 42 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP.

Lee, who was widely speculated to be traded leading up to the Aug. 1 deadline, was a first-round pick by Houston in the 2019 MLB Draft and was batting .283 with 32 RBI and five home runs at Triple-A Sugar Land prior to being traded.

Showing that the Astros brass has complete confidence in upcoming backstop Yainer Diaz and proving they will indeed bolster the team's bullpen, this trade makes complete sense for Houston as a whole.

And it will likely be the first of many deals in very busy days ahead, as Houston general manager Dana Brown and company are wasting no time making a splash prior to Aug. 1.

"You hate to lose some of your prospects," Brown said. "But at the end of the day, we thought we had a chance to really bridge the gap to the end of our bullpen and win more games."

That's exactly what Houston fans want to hear as the deadline looms, with more trades likely coming in the next several days.

The Astros have been linked to numerous starting pitchers -- something Houston hopes to add at the deadline -- along with several left-handed batters, another goal as the hunt for October starts now.

Could Houston reunite with former ace and current New York Mets pitcher Justin Verlander as well?

Speculation is abound that the Mets may continue being sellers up to the deadline, and many experts are predicting the Texas Rangers as the team most likely to land Verlander if New York does indeed decide to deal him.

Brown and the Houston brass will likely do everything in their power to prevent the former Astros ace from landing in Arlington, but who knows as an exciting three days awaits baseball fans across the globe.

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