MLB Trade Rumors: 4 Names to Watch As Astros Look For Starting Pitching

Chris Bassitt could be a trade target for the Houston Astros in their search for pitching

The Houston Astros have a pitching problem. They have no less than three starters out due to Tommy John surgery this season, with Ronel Blanco the most recent one this past week, to go along with Hayden Wesneski and Luis Garcia, who is still trying to come back from his procedure in 2023.

Their starting rotation is seemingly being held together by duct tape after the top two of Framber Valdez and the sensational Hunter Brown. Lance McCullers Jr. has just returned in the last month to make his first starts in three years. He's looking pretty good of late, but the Astros will need more certainty in their rotation if they're to hang on to top spot in the AL West Division.

With that, we take a look at four names to watch in Houston's hunt for starting pitching.

Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals

Are the Cards really a factor for a playoff spot this year? So far, they're hanging in, but if they eventually realize that they're not quite ready for prime time, they could deal the three-time All-Star Gray, who's having another fine season in the St. Louis rotation with a 6-1 mark and a 3.62 ERA.

The 35-year-old still has another year to run on his contract, with a $35 million payday, plus a team option for another year after that. But for the Astros, looking for some postseason success, landing an established veteran like Gray could go a long way.

Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays

Another wise veteran, Bassitt, 36, will be a free agent at year's end. He got off to a sizzling start this season, but has hit a rocky patch of late, leaving his ERA at 3.80. But he's a battler, and would be a solid arm to have in a playoff rotation in the No. 3 or 4 spot. He's finished top 10 in Cy Young voting in three of the previous four seasons.

Andrew Heaney, Pittsburgh Pirates

Who is this veteran southpaw pitching for the Pirates, and what has he done with the real Andrew Heaney? After a career of mostly middling to mediocre performances, Heaney has unleashed a new version of himself this season in the Steel City, with a 3.39 ERA, a full run better than his career mark. The 34-year-old was a decent contributor in the playoffs for the Texas Rangers in their World Series run in 2023, and he could be a nice, deeper end of the rotation piece for the Rangers' interstate rivals.

Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

Alcantara has the highest risk but also the highest reward for the Astros on this list. Alcantara is a former Cy Young winner (2022), but after sitting out the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, his comeback this year has been bumpy, to say the least. In 12 starts, he has an ugly 7.89 ERA. Do the Astros think that he can eventually get back to his Cy Young form?

As Sam Blum and Dennis Lin wrote recently in The Athletic, "Potential trade partners are forced to wonder if he is not the same pitcher as before the surgery. Until he performs, those questions will linger."