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The Houston Astros have gotten off to a decent start in the 2025 MLB regular season, going 13-12 before play began on April 26. Their offense has been incredibly disappointing over the first month of the season with several players expected to be key contributors struggling mightily. Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, first baseman Christian Walker and catcher Yainer Diaz all have OPS numbers under .
700; Diaz is under .500. That certainly isn’t going to cut it, but their pitching staff, specifically the starting rotation, could be an even bigger issue.
Relying on Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia to return from injuries is risky. Spencer Arrighetti is sidelined after a freak accident and Ronel Blanco is regressing majorly from his 2024 level of production.
To help keep the team on track, an addition to the pitching staff would be nice. Here are four starters the Astros should look to target ahead of the deadline. Andrew Heaney Given some of the uncertainties with their rotation in the future, a rental for the rest of the season could be what the team is in the market for.
If that is the case, Houston should pursue Heaney. He is off to an incredible start with the Pittsburgh Pirates . Through five starts and 31.
2 innings, he has a 1.72 ERA and 31 strikeouts. His 0.
766 WHIP is the best in the National League through April 25. Heaney has shown flashes of brilliance at points in his career and is someone the Astros know relatively well from spending parts of nine seasons with their American League West rivals the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers . Given their lack of prospect assets, a short-term rental of this caliber may be all the team can afford.
Sandy Alcantara If Houston wants to take a bigger swing, getting into the sweepstakes for the former National League Cy Young Award winner would make a lot of sense. With Framber Valdez set to hit free agency after the year, adding a front-end starter to help potentially replace him should he not sign a long-term deal would be good. Alcantara is off to a slow start in 2025, but he is under team control for potentially two more years thanks to an affordable team option in 2027.
After not pitching in 2024, he is assuredly knocking off rust. His track record speaks for itself as a workhorse atop a rotation. It remains to be seen how competitive the Astros could be in a bidding war to land him without a single top-100 prospect in their farm system, but they should at least try.
Martin Perez Being shifted to the 60-day injured list was a blow for the Chicago White Sox veteran who was off to a strong start in 2025. Through four starts and 20 innings he had a 3.10 ERA with 18 strikeouts.
The White Sox are going nowhere fast in 2025 and will be looking to sell off any pieces of value on their roster. His lengthy time sideline will impact his market, but that could present an excellent buy-low opportunity for Houston. He has a World Series ring on his resume with the Rangers in 2023 and put together an excellent stretch with the San Diego Padres down the stretch of 2024 after a rocky start with the Pirates.
The price to acquire him will be quite low compared to other serviceable veterans who will be available ahead of the deadline, making him quite appealing for the Astros. Sonny Gray It feels like a matter of when, not if, the St. Louis Cardinals open for business and begin trading away some of the veteran talent on their roster.
Gray was invovled in plenty of trade rumors over the winter but stayed put at the start of the season. Off to an 11-15 start, their play certainly seems like a team that will eventually be selling. Consistently productive for several years, Gray is flying under the radar as a high-end middle of the rotation arm.
Under team control in 2026 and with a team option for 2027, he is another target to provide insurance in case Valdez departs. He would be an excellent No. 3 behind him and Hunter Brown for the time being and is capable of moving into a No.
2 slot should Valdez leave in free agency. Recommended Articles.
