The Houston Astros have one of baseball’s best one-two punches at the top of their starting rotation. Hunter Brown is one of the top Cy Young candidates this season, and Framber Valdez is pitching at an elite level again.
But, the Astros could still be in the market for another starter, especially if the pitchers on the injured list can’t return to full strength. If such a scenario happens and they decide to buy, ESPN’s David Schoenfield is urging the Astros to trade for the Miami Marlins’ Cy Young Award winner, Sandy Alcantara.
“Astros general manager Dana Brown just talked about looking for a left-handed bat to help his right-heavy lineup,” Schoenfield writes. “But the Astros have a track record for making big pitching moves like this as the deadline.”
Back in 2017, the Astros landed Justin Verlander, and in 2019, the Astros traded for Zack Greinke. Then, in 2023, the Astros once again landed Verlander. This trade deadline, with a few uncertainties in the rotation, the Astros landing Alcantara wouldn’t be out of the question.
While Alcantara has struggled this season, to the tune of a 6.98 ERA in 16 starts, he still has a history of being one of baseball’s best pitchers. In 2022, Alcantara had a 2.28 ERA, 207 strikeouts, and led the league in pitcher WAR with 8.0 en route to a Cy Young Award.
The Astros, if they made such a deal, would hope that Alcantara can rebound in their organization and help the team push for the number one spot in the AL. Another factor of this potential move is that it’d provide insurance for the Astros.
Alcantara is locked up through 2026, and he has a club option for 2027. Those extra two years of control would soften the blow if Valdez were to leave in free agency after the 2025 season.
Adding Alcantara would help the rotation this season and provide quality insurance and depth to the rotation if Valdez leaves. Scheonfield’s urging the Marlins to trade Alcantara, and named the Astros as one of the teams that should land him.
Between the injuries in the rotation and the uncertainty with Valdez going forward, Alcantara would help not just in 2025 but for the next two years as well. Alcantara to the Astros would be a solid move, and it wouldn’t be the first time the Astros landed an ace at the trade deadline in the past decade.
