Astros Could Pursue Struggling Red Sox Starter for Rotation Upgrade

The Houston Astros are off to a great start this year with the best record in the American League West so far.

Even though the Astros might not have had their extremely high expectations going into the season, they are once again proving that they are one of the best teams in the AL.

While they have found ways to win a lot of games this campaign, the team is far from perfect. A lot of key veterans in the lineup have been struggling, resulting in the unit being a bit lackluster at times.

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This was a cause for concern coming into the season with the franchise seeing both Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman depart over the winter.

However, while the lineup has had some issues at times producing offensively, Houston has had to deal with a lot of injuries to their rotation as well. With multiple starters on the injured list, adding another arm to the unit might be something that the team entertains this summer.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Boston Red Sox starter Walker Buehler potentially being a trade target for the Astros this summer.

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“For anyone who's scoring at home, the Astros have not one, not two...[continues for a while]...but seven starting pitchers on the injured list,” he wrote.

With adding some depth in their rotation being a need, there are going to be multiple pitchers that will make sense for Houston to pursue. Fortunately, the Astros have two true aces at the top of their rotation, Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez.

Having a duo of that caliber should result in the team feeling comfortable about the top of their rotation heading into the second half of the year.

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When looking at Buehler of the Boston Red Sox, he is a very appealing player to target after the success that he had with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024.

However, while the right-hander was great in October helping the Dodgers win the World Series, he hasn’t been that same caliber of pitcher for Boston so far.

This campaign, he has totaled a 5-5 record and 6.29 ERA for the Red Sox and hasn’t lived up to expectations.

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With Boston being in a bit of a weird spot in the standings, they could look to become sellers at the deadline. If that does end up being the case, Buehler could be a player that they look to move on from.

For the Astros, even though they will be getting some starters back from the IL, they know from previous campaigns that there is no such thing as too much pitching.

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