MLB Rumors: Astros-Jordan Montgomery, Mike Trout trade, Cubs roadblock

MLB Rumors: Astros not planning on pivoting to Jordan Montgomery

The Houston Astros were a late arrival in the Blake Snell sweepstakes, but it seemed like they had a legitimate shot at landing him. Reports circulated that Snell gave Houston demands and that there was mutual interest, but in the end, no deal was made and Snell is now a San Francisco Giant.

The Astros missing out on Snell might not have seemed like a big deal a couple of weeks ago, but now, it's not ideal. Houston, a team normally stockpiled with tremendous starting pitching depth, is dealing with tons of injury issues on that front.

Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, and now Jose Urquidy are expected to begin the year on the IL. That's nearly an entire rotation - and a pretty good one! With those four out, one of Ronel Blanco or Brandon Bielak would presumably enter the Opening Day rotation. Those pitchers aren't awful, but aren't the options that a team vying for a World Series championship would want to turn to.

Thankfully, if no setbacks occur, Verlander should be back soon, but the others have timetables much further down the line. With that in mind, it'd behoove Houston to add another arm. A natural pivot from Snell would be to Montgomery, another high-priced option to fit at the front of their rotation, but if what MLB Network's Jim Bowden is saying is true, then it sounds like Montgomery is not an option.

Why Houston wouldn't consider Montgomery is beyond me. Perhaps Montgomery is only seeking a long-term deal? That'd be foolish on his part, but who knows at this point? Montgomery is a battle-tested starter who is more than consistent and has proven he can pitch on the biggest stage and in the AL West. What more do the Astros need to see?