The Houston Astros have had the year from hell when it comes to their rotation. We could list off the array of injuries that their starting pitchers have suffered this year, but it's better said that Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown have been the only two consistent members of the rotation this year due to health. Now, make no mistake, that's a helluva 1-2 punch in Houston, but it takes more than just that for a division leader to make a deep postseason run. And while reinforcements could be coming back from rehab assignments, the Astros are keen on bringing in another at the MLB Trade Deadline: Dylan Cease.
Astros insider Chandler Rome and MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic ($) reported on Tuesday afternoon that Cease "is at the top of the Astros' wish list" just two days before the July 31 deadline.
Houston owner Jim Crane and general manager Dana Brown have never been shy about getting the big-name option on the trade market, and Cease might be the biggest name available at the trade deadline, at least in terms of rentals. Furthermore, the veteran right-hander would have the ability to slot into the rotation with Brown and Valdez to form a 1-2-3 punch that would be unmatched by virtually any other team in baseball, and that's with more help still likely to come.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Dylan Cease is the perfect Astros trade target as urgency is heightened
If you only looked at the 4.79 ERA and 1.335 WHIP for Cease this season, you'd probably be wondering why the Astros or any trade suitor would be interested in the hurler who becomes a free agent after this season. At the same time, the underlying numbers suggest that he could be due for positive regression at any point. He still has a 3.61 FIP on the season and, if the Astros could hone his fastball back in, Cease could be cooking as one of the best right-handers in the sport once again.
Pairing that with Brown and Valdez alone would push Houston into the conversation — more so than they already are — of American League favorites. That's a position that would only be further solidified once players like Christian Javier, J.P. Sears, Luis Garcia and Spencer Arrighetti all make their way back from the 60-day IL, which could happen relatively soon given that all are in the midst of rehab assignments the week of the trade deadline.
Perhaps more importantly, though, the need to solidify the Astros rotation is heightened by the fact that, though the offense has continued to produce, they're doing so exceptionally short-handed.
A Dylan Cease trade would take pressure off Astros short-handed offense
With Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and Isaac Paredes all out due to injury and with some uncertain timetables for return as well, Houston's offensive pop could best be described as inconsistent. In the current state of the roster, that can be problematic. Look no further than the team's last five games, which included four against the Athletics and a series-opener against the Nationals. Houston scored a combined eight runs in what amounted to five consecutive losses over that span, never scoring more than three runs.
That's not going to happen every night for the Astros, even with a diminished lineup, but it's made more palatable and survivable if they're able to add another arm of Cease's caliber to the mix to help right the ship.
Furthermore, Rome and Rosenthal also noted that Houston isn't only prioritizing Cease as they continue to be in the market for another bat as well. There are a wide array of options in terms of quality there, but the Astros clearly see the window of opportunity open in front of them and are trying to bust through it.
Landing Cease would go a long way into ending up on the other side of that window.