Earlier in the offseason rumors suggested the Houston Astros could make a run at one of the top starters that are already off the board. General manager Jeff Luhnow acquired the bullpen piece the team was looking for, but the rotation still remains a priority.
In the trade for Phillies' closer Ken Giles, the Astros surrendered young pitchers Vincent Velasquez and Mark Appel, so there is arguably a greater need for a starter. With David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto having already signed, the Astros, perhaps more appropriately, have their focus narrowed down to second-tier free agent starters.
Last night Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reported that the Astros joined the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals in the race for starter Yovani Gallardo, who is attached to a qualifying offer. Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle added the team is also interested in a reunion with Scott Kazmir, who they acquired at the 2015 trade deadline, as well as free agent Mike Leake, who probably isn't going back to the Giants since they signed Samardzija and Cueto.
"We'd definitely like to bring in another good starter," owner Jim Crane told Drellich. "Certainly, I've told Jeff (general manager Jeff Luhnow) since I've got here, being an old pitcher, there's three things in baseball: pitching, pitching and pitching."
The Astros have $57 million committed to 2016 and that number is expected reach $89 million with a number of arbitration salaries. The team had a $72 million payroll in 2015 and it's expected to increase due to their postseason appearance. Drellich said there's "room to add a guy like Kazmir," who is projected to land a contract in the $60 million range, according to numerous experts.
Trading Velasquez helped bolster the back end of the bullpen for the foreseeable future, but the right-hander was perhaps on track to become an everyday successful starter. In his first seven MLB starts (38 innings) the 23-year-old went 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 38 strikeouts.
The team must add insurance because it's unknown what they'll get out of Scott Feldman and/or Brad Peacock next season. Feldman was limited to 18 starts due to injuries and Peacock was limited to just one.
As Crane said, baseball is about pitching, pitching and pitching. A team can never have enough of it, so expect Houston to add one of the available top starters to build off their success in 2015.
