Houston Astros Trade Target Gives Team a Fresh Start

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

Houston’s roster still has plenty of talent, which could inspire the front office to stay competitive and become buyers at the MLB trade deadline. If they want to improve their roster, they should start with their pitch.

Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet has emerged as one of the top prospects at the deadline and would be a great fit for the Astros.

Houston’s starters rank 28th in WAR this season. Ronel Blanco and Justin Verlander have been the only reliable players this season and even they have had issues.

There’s plenty of talent on the roster already, but they’re not healthy together yet. The future beyond this season is also uncertain.

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

Hook went through a rough patch in April, but his last month was nothing short of spectacular.

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

He’s had an interesting run over the past two seasons and finally seems to be finding his rhythm.

In 2020, he jumped straight to the minors after being drafted by 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 returned to a bullpen role in May 2023 and had a 3.55 ERA.

At the start of 2024, he takes up his starting position. He had gotten off to a rough start, just shy of a 6.00 ERA in 34.2 innings of work, but that figure fell to just 3.49 after his first start in June.

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

His experience both as a starter and out of the bullpen works very well for Houston, allowing them to use him as what they need most when their rotation is fully healthy. His success as a starter would bode well when their current players are no longer on 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 improved, but not enough to bet on the future.