Astros Might Regret Not Adding Starting Pitcher at MLB Trade Deadline

With the Houston Astros struggling a bit of late, it was encouraging to see the team get aggressive at the trade deadline to try to make some improvements.

Despite being in first place in the American League West, the Astros are heading in the wrong direction a bit. This is a team that has been hit hard by injuries, and players missing time is starting to catch up with them.

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With the AL West shaping up to be a very tough race, Houston knew that they were going to need to make some upgrades at the deadline.

The Seattle Mariners set the tone for the rest of the division with the additions of Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez. These additions change the dynamic of the batting order for the Mariners and could help secure them a playoff spot.

Furthermore, the Texas Rangers improved their strength with the addition of Merrill Kelly. Getting the veteran right-hander gives them one of the best trios in the league.

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The Astros were active as well, but arguably didn’t make moves that will improve them as much as those two teams.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the addition of Carlos Correa potentially not moving the needle as much as the franchise might be hoping for and the real need for the team to get starting pitchers healthy.

“Between him, Jesús Sánchez, and Ramón Urías, the latter might be the most productive player they added, which isn't promising. They need pitchers getting healthy pronto if they're going to maintain this division lead.”

While the addition of Correa has the potential to be an impactful addition, not addressing the starting rotation was a surprise. This was a team heading into the deadline that was seeking a number three starter.

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They came up empty in that area and will be relying on some of their injured starters to come back and stay healthy.

For an Astros team that has been relying heavily on Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, and their bullpen, adding another starter capable of starting in a playoff series would have been ideal.

Houston will likely now be hoping that Spencer Arrighetti can perform like he did in the second half of the 2024 campaign and fill the need. The right-hander is expected to be back next week, and the Astros certainly need him.

So far in 2025, the numbers before getting injured weren’t fantastic for Arrighetti, and the pressure will be on for him to perform.

While adding some hitters to the lineup was important, it will be interesting to see if Houston regrets not improving the rotation.

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