Houston Texans beef up offensive line by trading with Buccaneers

TEXANS NEWS

Houston Texans beef up offensive line by trading with Buccaneers
Texans trade for guard Shaq Mason. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans needed some help on the offensive line and they addressed it by trading for Tampa Bay guard Shaq Mason on Tuesday.

This deal is basically a salary dump for the Buccaneers, as they are receiving a 6th round pick and sending Mason and a 7th rounder to Houston. This trade clears about $5 million in salary cap for Tampa, and the Texans get an upgrade at guard.

Mason will be 30 years old when the season begins and he started all 17 games for the Bucs in 2022.

Texans GM Nick Caserio is very familiar with Mason, as he was with the Patriots when Mason was drafted in 2015.

Houston looks pretty solid at the guard and tackle positions, with Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard, Kenyon Green, and now Mason.

It looks like the Texans are moving on from guard AJ Cann, per Aaron Wilson.

Hopefully, the Texans can address center next, either in free agency or the draft. The team re-signed center Scott Quessenberry recently, but his performance last season confirmed his level of play is not suited to be a starter.

The Texans also added free agent safety/slot corner Jimmie Ward on Monday night. Ward should fit right in to the Texans new defense, having played for DeMeco Ryans in San Francisco. The deal is for 2-years, $13 million.

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The Astros are heading to the Rockies! Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros closed out a powerful homestand with a statement series win over the Cubs, led by the continued emergence of Cam Smith and the lockdown stuff of Bryan Abreu. Smith, who seems to live for high-leverage moments, went toe-to-toe with Kyle Tucker and delivered again and again, further cementing his place in Houston’s growing offensive core. Meanwhile, Abreu was simply untouchable—striking out all four batters he faced in a lights-out appearance on Thursday and returning Sunday to toss two scoreless innings in front of Josh Hader’s 23rd straight save. The bullpen continues to impress.

As Houston heads west for a six-game road trip, starting with the Rockies and ending with the Dodgers, the rotation will remain under the microscope. On paper, the Rockies series should be a tune-up—Colorado owns the worst record in baseball. But even in a small three-game set, anything can happen. The Dodgers are a different animal entirely. They’ve been the class of the National League and pose a challenge that may mirror what the Astros saw from the Phillies and Cubs—but this time, Houston won’t have the advantage of home field. Considering the team’s elite pitching and recent play, the Astros should still feel confident, but they’ll need to prove they can sustain this level on the road.

Trade speculation is beginning to swirl, particularly around Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins. Mullins hasn’t lit it up this season—he’s hitting just .213—but his 12 home runs suggest some underlying pop. Houston may believe there's untapped potential in his swing that can be unlocked. It's a move that would fit the Astros’ track record: buying low on a talented player and letting their system do the rest.

Speaking of roster decisions, Christian Walker's bat is officially on watch. Despite showing flashes of life earlier this season, Walker hit just .221 in June and has been dropped to seventh in the lineup. Meanwhile, Jon Singleton has been crushing home runs in Sugar Land and waiting patiently for another big-league shot. The organization has to be thinking about giving Singleton a chance if Walker’s struggles continue.

But not every question has an immediate answer. Lance McCullers Jr.’s return from the injured list was rocky at best, surrendering eight runs in a short outing. Still, the reaction from fans calling for his release is premature at best and delusional at worst. Joe Espada left him in too long, and everyone knew it. It's still June, and McCullers is a proven postseason arm. He’s not going anywhere, not with that contract—and frankly, not with the upside he still offers.

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Then there's Jeremy Peña. The hope was that his sore ribs were nothing serious. That changed after the homestand, when further imaging revealed a small fracture and landed Peña on the 10-day IL. It’s a frustrating development, but credit the Astros’ medical staff for pushing for clarity—learning from the Yordan Alvarez situation this year. With superagent Scott Boras now representing him, it appeared negotiations were over. But Astros GM Dana Brown revealed on the pregame show this weekend that he’s already reached back out to Boras to reopen the conversation. Whether both sides can agree to new terms is a different story.

So while the Astros leave home riding a wave of momentum, the road ahead holds tougher matchups, key roster questions, and new injury concerns. They’ve shown they’re built to weather all of it. Now they’ll have to prove it.

There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

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