3 next moves Astros must make after finally replacing Dusty Baker
By Mark Powell
Houston Astros need to add some starting pitching
While Houston fans would prefer the team add a high-end starting pitcher either through free agency or a trade, Brown didn't sound so convinced, suggesting instead the Astros would add a mid-rotation starter for depth reasons.
Considering the injuries Houston faced in its rotation just last season, adding depth makes some sense. However, it is not the answer to all their problems. Justin Verlander is an ace, but he's on the wrong side of 40 years old. With the number of elite starting pitchers available in free agency and via trade, it would be wrong of Brown to rely only on a No. 3-starter type, rather than, say, Sonny Gray or Corbin Burnes.
Climbing Tal's Hill's Eric Cole thinks Brown's comments could be posturing, for what it's worth:
"Again, this could all be posturing. Dana is a smart guy and he knows that you don't want to enter negotiations with anyone in a weak/desperate position. For all of this chatter that the Astros will be getting Garcia and McCullers Jr. back at some point of the season and don't technically "need" another pitcher, the reality is that Houston doesn't know what those guys will look like coming back from injury and then there is the "what happens until they return?" problem," Cole wrote.
If the Astros do chase a frontline starter, they'll be better for it. But do they have enough capital to do so and extend Bregman and Altuve?