Astros Rumors: 3 Trade Targets after missing out on Luis Castillo
By Jake Oliver
The Houston Astros need to move quickly to keep up with the Mariners’ trade for Ace Luis Castillo
On Friday night, the Seattle Mariners made a stunning trade to acquire the No.1 starting pitcher on the trade market, Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds.
It was a pretty seismic and surprising trade since the Mariners hadn’t been connected much to Castillo leading up to the deal. In the end, it cost the No. 2 Wild Card team a lot in order to try to make the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. The Mariners needed an starting pitcher in order to make it to the playoffs. They are only .5 games up in the Wild Card standings while being 12 games back of the Astros. These Astros rumors need to happen.
The Astros now realize they will have a team to contend with for the AL West crown and there’s another strong team potentially in the playoff mix. The Astros still have some significant weaknesses of their own that must be addressed if they hope to repeat as AL Champs. Those needs are a left-handed bullpen arm, a catcher, a 1st baseman, and more depth. The American League is going to be tough for the Astros with the Yankees, Blue Jays, and now Mariners to battle with.
MLB Rumors: Houston Astros trade targets after missing out on Luis Castillo
61. Scouting Report. Starting Pitcher. Cincinnati Reds. player. Pick Analysis. Tyler Mahle. 3
So the Astros missed out on Reds’ Ace pitcher, no reason they can’t get the Reds’ other ace pitcher. This move would prevent another American League team from acquiring a good starting pitcher while increasing the Astros’ amazing depth. They could move Jake Odorizzi to the bullpen. Tyler is under club control through 2023 which provides cover for any injuries or if Justin Verlander departs in free agency.
Don’t let the baseline stats fool you either, Mahle has been very good. He may have a bad 4-7 record with a 4.48 ERA. However, he has thrown 98.1 innings and struck out 107. He’s only walked 39 and has given up only 86 hits. His FIP is a much better 3.78 with a 102 ERA+. This is despite playing with an awful Reds team. He’s been worth 8.1 WAR over the last three years.
Over that time, he has pitched 326 innings of 3.95 ERA with 377 strikeouts. He’s a reliable No.2 or 3 pitcher in a staff. Imagine if the Astros only had to start Framber Valdez and Verlander once in a playoff series. This would make them incredibly tough to beat, especially in a short playoff series.