Astros Predicted to Deal for Veteran Diamondbacks Starter at MLB Trade Deadline

With the second half of the season starting up for the Houston Astros, they will be seeking to win the American League West once again.

Despite some concerns coming into the year, the Astros have been able to silence any doubters with their fantastic first half of the campaign.

Even though they got off to their normal slow start, there have been few teams in baseball better than Houston the last couple of months.

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, the Astros will likely be aggressive as they usually are to try to improve the team. Fortunately, they don’t have a ton of needs, especially if they can get Yordan Alvarez back and healthy to lead the offense.

Their bullpen has arguably been the best aspect of the team, with the unit having a very low ERA. More than likely, they will stand pat with what they have in that area.

Where they might seek a potential upgrade is in their starting rotation. Even though they don’t need an ace, they could use some help in the middle and the back end of the rotation.

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This should make things a bit easier for the front office to accomplish that, and there will be plenty of options available.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required) recently predicted that the Astros would acquire Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly at the trade deadline.

“They may not have enough prospect capital to land Merrill Kelly — a Houston native in the final year of his contract — but if owner Jim Crane covets a splashy name while contemplating whether to cross into the luxury tax, Kelly fits the bill,” he wrote.

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Despite having a lot of talent on the roster, the Diamondbacks have had injuries derail their season. Even though they aren’t completely out of it, making the playoffs in the National League seems like a tall task for them at this point.

With that being said, they do have numerous veterans on expiring contracts that they can look to flip for prospects. One of the most notable will be Kelly. The right-hander has had a strong year, totaling an 8-5 record and 3.34 ERA.

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When looking at the rotation for Houston, the unit is very top-heavy with Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez. However, with some question marks after those two, a pitcher like Kelly makes a lot of sense.

A potential trio of those three in a playoff series would be hard to contend with and could arguably be the best among potential AL playoff teams. The Astros are no stranger to adding starting pitching at the deadline, and the veteran right-hander from Arizona makes a lot of sense.

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