Former Astros reliever reunites with former teammate after being traded to Mets

The Houston Astros are expected to be active ahead of the trade deadline, targeting starting pitchers as their No. 1 priority.

Two separate reports have indicated that there have been discussions surrounding Erick Fedde and Jack Flaherty, who is having a resurgent year.

As Dana Brown and his management consider what types of packages to offer to attract the targets they want, they have also seen their division rival, the Seattle Mariners, upgrade their roster for the final stretch of the season.

Randy Arozarena will give this team a power bat, something they desperately needed. They also acquired reliever Yimi Garcia, adding a solid option they can turn to out of the bullpen.

But the Mariners didn’t stop there.

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.comThey sent former Astros reliever Ryne Stanek to the New York Mets, getting a top-30 prospect in return.

The right-hander will now reunite with Phil Maton with the Mets after both left Houston this offseason as free agents.

Both pitchers played important roles in Houston’s bullpen during their time with the franchise, and while Maton wasn’t active during their playoff run when they won the 2022 World Series after breaking his hand after hitting a locker, he threw high-leverage innings for the team throughout the year.

Fortunately for the Astros, they won’t need to see Stanek come out of the bullpen to face them anymore.

The battle between them and Seattle will intensify late in the season as Houston seeks its fourth straight AL West title and the Mariners try to win their first since 2001.