Houston Astros acquire All-Star starting pitcher in trade with Blue Jays

The Houston Astros have been looking to add a starting pitcher before the MLB trade deadline in recent weeks. Their search has not been easy.

Dana Brown, the team’s general manager, has made it clear that he wants to “think big” for a pitcher. While they didn’t get one of the biggest names on the market, they have now acquired a very good starting pitcher who will help them compete for the American League West.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi traded to Astros by Jim Bowden from The Athletic.

In exchange, the Astros sent a package including young pitcher Jake Bloss to the Blue Jays.

So far in the 2024 MLB season, Kikuchi has put up solid numbers.

In 22 starts for Toronto, he went 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 4.3 K/BB ratio and 115.2 innings pitched.

Those numbers aren’t elite, but they aren’t horrible. A change of scenery to a Houston team that’s in legitimate playoff contention could help him turn things around a bit and post better numbers.

At 33, Kikuchi is a rental player for the Astros as he is in the final year of his contract.

Hopefully this is the move Houston needed to take its rotation to the next level. Kikuchi is a good pitcher who is a definite upgrade for the Astros.