This cheap Astros-Mets trade is exactly what Houston needs make a playoff run

The Houston Astros have already been without starters Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr for the majority of the year this season. Now the news has broken that Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy will both undergo season ending Tommy John surgery, placing them on the injured list for at least the next year.

Houston is already struggling, as is. Now they need to make some moves to improve their rotation before it's too late and they fall out of contention. They're seven games under .500 and seven games back of the Mariners in the AL West. If this deficit drops in the 12 game range, the Astros could be destined to sell.

But before that can happen, they need to go out and get a starter. Luis Severino from the Mets would be a quality option that the Astros could acquire for cheap in the coming weeks.

An Astros-Mets trade that sends Luis Severino to Houston before their season goes down the drain

Houston needs to make this trade soon. They're running out of time before their season goes down the drain and they potentially begin selling away their expiring deals, which isn't a situation that the Astros have been in since they were in the National League.

Severino would be relatively cheap to acquire. He's on an expiring contract and he isn't really an ace, more so a reliable middle of the rotation guy. He would slot in the Astros rotation seamlessly.

The Astros could likely acquire Severino by trading two prospects ranked between 10 and 20 in their system. Rhett Kouba, 13th-ranked prospect, and Colin Barber, 19th-ranked prospect, should get this deal done and leave Houston with their top ranked prospects in their system still.

Kouba isn't your typical velocity-first pitcher, in fact, he seems like a pitcher out of a different era. He's able to mix his pitches well, locate well and compete at a high level, making him a decently high floor prospect, though his ceiling isn't exceptional.

Barber has an exceptional minor-league bat, currently slashing .269/.319/.462 at the Double-A level. He's 23 years old and could find himself getting fast tracked through the Mets system, especially after the fire sale of a rebuild they're likely about to enter in the coming weeks.

The Astros need to make a move and they need to do it quickly. Luis Severino is a cheap, expiring option that could bring them some life. They desperately need this life, as they're watching their season go down the drain right before their eyes.