Houston Astros Trade Target Offers Team A Fresh Start

The Houston Astros pitching staff has been all over the place this season and the front office needs to address it before the MLB trade deadline.

May 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros pitching staff has been unreliable this season, which has played a big role in their 26-33 start.

Houston's roster still has plenty of talent, which could entice the front office to still compete and actually become buyers at the MLB trade deadline. If they do want to improve their roster, they should start with their pitching.

Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet has emerged as a top potential mover at the deadline and would be a perfect fit with the Astros.

Houston's starters rank 28th in WAR this season. Ronel Blanco and Justin Verlander have been the only reliable performers this season and even they have had their troubles.

There is plenty of talent already on the roster, but they have yet to be healthy together. The future beyond this season is also shaky.

Verlander could be gone next year while Framber Valdez and Jose Urquidy are reaching the end of their arbitration years. A new, young arm could be just what this staff needs.

Crochet hit a rough patch in April but his past month was nothing short of spectacular.

In the month of May, the southpaw had a 0.93 ERA across five starts with a 0.724 WHIP. Four of the White Sox’s nine wins came during one of his starts. He carried the team on his back last month and could draw a lot of interest because of it.

He’s had an interesting journey over the past couple of seasons and looks to finally be hitting his stride once again.

Back in 2020, he skipped straight over the minors after being drafted out of the University of Tennessee, appearing in five games and pitching six scoreless innings to close out the season just months after being selected.

His first full season came in 2021 when he came out of the bullpen with a 2.82 ERA. He then missed all of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery. He came back to a bullpen role in May 2023 and had a 3.55 ERA.

At the start of 2024, he began his starting role. He had gotten off to a rough start, just under a 6.00 ERA over 34.2 innings of work but that is all the way down to just 3.49 after his first start of June.

The 24-year-old has kept his elite four-seam fastball at around 97 MPH. It’s by far his best pitch, but he’s also introduced a cutter this season that has given him another really successful pitch to lean on as a starter.

His experience as both a starter and out of the bullpen works great for Houston, allowing them to use him as whatever they need the most when their rotation is fully healthy. His success as a starter would bode well for when their current players are off the roster.

At his young age, he would also have the highest potential to be a long-term answer at the position. Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti have been improving, but not enough to stake the future on.