How Houston Astros sneakily rebuilt arsenal for this season and beyond
STONE COLD 'STROS
20 June
The Astros rotation looks like a strength moving forward. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros are coming off a much-needed series win over the White Sox, but have a quick turnaround as they host the Orioles on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
The 'Stros dropped the first game of the series with Framber Valdez on the mound, but were able to rebound with Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti starting the final two games.
Brown was brilliant once again, and Arrighetti bounced back after a disastrous start against the Tigers over the weekend. Despite all the injures to the Astros staff this season, their young pitchers are stepping up when they need them the most.
Brown has six consecutive quality starts and is beginning to show signs that he can be the top of the rotation pitcher the club always hoped he could develop into.
Arrighetti has stepped in and shown that he belongs in the big leagues, and has provided innings Houston desperately requires with so many pitchers on the injured list.
Speaking of which, with Justin Verlander on the IL, Double A prospect Jake Bloss will make the start for Houston on Friday night. Bloss has quickly progressed through the farm system, having been drafted just a year ago.
We'll see how he performs in his MLB debut, but the club seems to have a lot of quality pitching options moving forward, especially with Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers scheduled to return in late July and early August respectively.
And as we look at the Astros rotation moving forward, perhaps they will go back to a six-man rotation during certain stretches in the second half of the season.
Which could prove to be vital to the team's success. As good as Ronel Blanco has been, he's never pitched as many innings as he'll be asked to pitch this year. Same goes for Arrighetti. And let's face it, sending Verlander out to pitch on four days rest consistently at 41 years old doesn't sound like a wise decision. He's already been on the IL twice this year.
While some see Garcia and McCullers as wild cards to help the team this season, Astros GM Dana Brown doesn't see it that way. He told the Astros flagship station this week that he's counting on those guys to make big contributions when they return. And he's counting on their postseason experience should they get there.
Keep in mind, Garcia has a 3.61 career ERA and has been durable outside the Tommy John surgery. And McCullers has always been good, it's just the health that causes concern.
Garcia is also an example of how a player can skip Double A and Triple A and have success right away in the big leagues. Hopefully, Bloss can follow in his footsteps, since he's bypassing Triple A to make his first start.
So what's the short and long-term outlook for the Astros rotation? And should we expect Verlander to return in 2025?
Be sure to watch the video above as we address those questions and much more!
Here's what the next era of Astros baseball will look like
Dec 13, 2024, 8:31 pm
The Chicago Cubs acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros on Friday, paying a big price for one of baseball's best hitters.
The Cubs sent third baseman Isaac Paredes, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith, one of their top infield prospects, to the Astros for Tucker, who is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season.
Be sure to watch the video below as the crew from Stone Cold 'Stros reacts to the trade and lays out what the future holds for the new-look Astros.
Tucker was limited to 78 games this year because of a fractured right shin, but he hit .289 with 23 homers and 49 RBIs for the AL West champions. He batted .284 with 29 homers, an AL-best 112 RBIs and 30 steals for Houston in 2023.
Tucker, who turns 28 on Jan. 17, joins a crowded situation in Chicago's outfield, but the Cubs are reportedly looking to trade Cody Bellinger, who also can play first base. They also have talked to Seiya Suzuki's agent about the outfielder's no-trade clause.
The Cubs have finished second in the NL Central with an 83-79 record in each of the past two years, and there is increased pressure on president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to get the team back into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Cubs announced later in the day that they had agreed to an $11.5 million, two-year contract with catcher Carson Kelly, a Chicago native. He played for Detroit and Texas this year, batting .238 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 91 games.
The New York Yankees also were in the mix for Tucker before the trade was completed.
“We certainly had many conversations with the Astros.” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “At the end of the day I’m glad that Mr. Tucker is not in the American League East or the American League at all. But it’s a big get for the Chicago Cubs.”
Paredes is an option for Houston at third base if Alex Bregman departs in free agency. The 25-year-old Paredes hit .238 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs in 153 games this year. He made the AL All-Star team with Tampa Bay and then was traded to Chicago in July.
Paredes, who bats from the right side and is known for his pull power, chuckled as he talked about taking aim at the Crawford Boxes in left field at Minute Maid Park.
“I feel very happy. It's not only a beautiful stadium, but it's a stadium that benefits my hitting,” he said through a translator.
Even with the acquisition of Paredes, who also can play first, Astros general manager Dana Brown did not close the door on a reunion with Bregman.
“Pretty much Alex Bregman's status is still the way it is,” Brown said. “Nothing has changed since the last time I've talked to you guys.”
Wesneski, a Houston native who played college ball for Sam Houston State, will compete for a spot in the Astros’ rotation.
The right-hander, who turned 27 on Dec. 5, went 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA over 21 relief appearances and seven starts this year. He was on the injured list from July 20 to Sept. 20 with a right forearm strain.
“It’s just a dream-come-true kind of thing,” Wesneski said. “I am excited to be an Astro.”
Houston is hoping the addition of Paredes and Wesneski will help the team continue its impressive run as one of baseball's best teams. It has made the playoffs for eight straight years, winning the World Series in 2017 and 2022. It was swept by Detroit in the wild-card round this year.
“Look, make no mistake. We're still going to compete,” Brown said, “and this is probably one of those moves that I think in the future people will see and understand like, yeah, wow, I understand it now, I get it. ... I would say that this is more to strengthen our opportunities down the road without losing any footage in the current year.”
While Paredes and Wesneski could have an immediate impact, Smith also was a key component of the deal.
Smith, 21, was selected by Chicago with the No. 14 pick in this year's draft out of Florida State University. He hit .313 with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 32 games over three minor league stops, finishing the year with Double-A Knoxville.
“It's a really good first-round college bat with power, with a chance to hit, and he's pretty athletic as well,” Brown said. “So we're really excited about Cam Smith.”
Tucker was Houston's first-round pick in 2015, taken No. 5 overall. He made his big league debut with the Astros in 2018.
Tucker had a breakout performance three years after his debut, hitting a career-best .294 with 30 homers and 92 RBIs in 140 games in 2021. He won a Gold Glove the following year.
The Tampa, Florida, native is a .274 hitter with 125 homers, 417 RBIs and an .869 OPS in 633 career games — all with Houston. He also has appeared in 64 postseason games, batting .229 with eight homers and 28 RBIs.
Kelly gets $5 million in each of the next two seasons, and his deal with Chicago includes a $7.5 million mutual option for 2027 with a $1.5 million buyout. He can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses during each of the three seasons; $250,000 each for 81 and 91 games started.
The Cubs were in need of more depth behind the plate. They also have Miguel Amaya, who played in a career-high 117 games this year, and Matt Thaiss, who was acquired in a trade with the Angels on Nov. 20.
