Houston Astros: 3 trade targets to avoid at the deadline

By Tim Boyle | Jun 30, 2022

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 28: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros celebrates his two-run home run with Jose Altuve #27 in the top of the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 28, 2022 in the Queens Borough of New York City. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images) /

2 of 3

KANSAS CITY, MO – JUNE 27: Martin Perez #54 of the Texas Rangers on the mound against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium on June 27, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Reed Hoffmann/Getty Images) /

2. player. 126. . SP. Texas Rangers. Martin Perez

Astros trade target to avoid at the deadline: Martin Perez

Martin Perez is having a great year for the Texas Rangers and will make one trade deadline buyer a very happy baseball team. The Astros aren’t that team, though. If they are in the market for a starting rotation upgrade, possibly in place of Jose Urquidy, they should go after someone with a better track record.

Perez is the kind of pitcher a team should trade for if they have an absence in the rotation or have a desperate need to gamble and hope he can carry his success over to their ball club. Houston just isn’t built that way this year. They have enough guys pitching well. The price the Rangers should have for Perez would be too much compared to what Houston should be in the market for.

That’s not to say the Astros should eliminate themselves from the starting pitcher trade market completely. Surer bets like Luis Castillo or Frankie Montas fit more into the molding of what could really make them a terrific ball club.

Perez has been really good for Texas this year. A perfect rental for some ball clubs, the Astros should steer clear. For their starting pitching staff, they should put faith in what they already have or target a guy they can win with next year as well.

Home/Houston Astros