Astros rumors: Houston surprisingly willing to sell at this position

The Houston Astros are reportedly interested in moving on from this position, despite that they are in contention for a postseason berth.

The MLB trade deadline is on Aug. 2, which gives teams in reach of a postseason berth a chance to strengthen their rosters. The Houston Astros qualify as one of those teams, as they exited the All-Star break defeating the New York Yankees in a doubleheader to climb up the American League standings. But, according to a recent report, the Astros are actually open to selling at one position.

According to ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, multiple general managers have said that the Astros are one team that is open to listening to trade offers for their controllable starting pitchers. Passan notes that they have about “six quality major league starting pitchers,” which includes Lance McCullers Jr., who is working his way back from injury.

Passan writes that out of all of their pitchers, Jose Urquidy is “the most obvious candidate to move.”

Astros reportedly willing to sell controllable starting pitchers

Passan notes that Urquidy enters arbitration after this season and does not become a free agent until the conclusion of the 2025 campaign. He has put up good numbers ever since making his debut in 2019.

Through 18 starts, Urquidy recorded a 3.93 ERA, a 1.232 WHIP, a 9-4 win-loss record, 77 strikeouts, and 22 walks over 100.2 innings.

Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia were other names that were brought up by Passan, but he notes that both would “cost the most out of anyone” in return.

Whether the Astro do move on from one of their controllable starting pitchers remains to be seen. It could help them strengthen other positions of need. They are in good position in the second half this season, as they officially hold a tiebreaker over the Yankees when it comes to postseason seeding.