The Houston Astros made the first big trade in the days leading up to the deadline and acquired Scott Kazmir from the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Is the team still searching for other starters on the market?
In the deal for Kazmir, the Astros surrendered two low-level prospects in Jacob Nottingham and Daniel Mengden, both of whom haven't gotten past the Class A Advanced level. This leaves Houston with their top prospects and certainly more than enough ammo to land another top starter, which rumors have hinted toward.
After all, while Kazmir is a pretty significant acquisition, the Astros have mainly been linked to bigger names in trade rumors such as Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Cole Hamels. It's still very possible the club strikes again before July 31.
"Folks around the team say they wondered whether GM Jeff Luhnow could make a deal with Cincinnati, which has two of the top available starters, so it should could come as no surprise they turned to Scott Kazmir," Jon Heyman of CBS Sports writes. "Luhnow and Reds GM Walt Jocketty have a history from their days together in St. Louis. They still appear to be looking around for a starter, but there doesn't seem to be real hope for Hamels here, either."
Heyman is referring to Cueto and Mike Leake, who are both garnering a lot of interest on the market.
ESPN's Jayson Stark mentioned that the Astros "aren't done after trading for Kazmir," but he also indicated the team is looking for bullpen arms and corner outfield bats, mentioning nothing about a starter. But another baseball insider provided some more insight on the matter.
"I spoke with [an Astros'] club official today and he said 'don't rule us out of anything,'" FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal said yesterday. "So I asked, 'OK, what do you want next?' and his reply was 'talent,' meaning they will upgrade in any way they can."
By taking a look at the Astros' rotation right now, it's clear they still need some more help. Rookies Lance McCullers and Vincent Velasquez are likely on an innings limit and won't be able to pitch the entire season, let alone during the postseason if Houston makes it there. Additionally, Scott Feldman has made only 11 starts this year and owns a 4.93 ERA while Collin McHugh (4.25 ERA) has been largely inconsistent.
Keuchel and Kazmir are an excellent 1-2 punch, but the Astros might need someone more reliable to fill the No. 3 spot as they endure the final two months of the MLB season and hope to make the playoffs.
There are less than seven days until the deadline and it appears Luhnow is not going to take his foot off the gas pedal.
