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Astros Interested In Sandy Alcantara

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The Astros and Marlins are discussing a trade that would send Sandy Alcantara to Houston, according to reporter Michael Schwab.  “Both sides are serious and interested,” as per Schwab, but there isn’t any indication that a deal is close to happening.  USA Today’s Bob Nightengale regards Houston’s interest in Alcantara as a bit of a pivot, as talks with the Padres about Dylan Cease “have cooled.”

Alcantara missed the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, and his return to action this year has been mixed at best.  The right-hander has a 6.36 ERA over 109 innings, with lot of hard contact allowed and a 16.8% strikeout rate that would represent a career low.  There have been a few flashes of vintage Alcantara, and his last two starts have seen the former NL Cy Young Award winner toss 12 innings with only a single unearned run allowed.  Alcantara’s fastball is still averaging 97.5mph, which is down from the 98mph he averaged during the 2021-23 seasons, yet that isn’t an egregious drop considering the righty’s long layoff.

As perhaps the top premium trade chip the Marlins have left after their latest fire sale, Alcantara’s shaky performance represents a challenge for the front office.  The Fish could simply wait until the offseason to try and re-visit trade talks, perhaps after Alcantara has posted better numbers in the final two months to boost his value.  Or, the Marlins could trade Alcantara before tomorrow’s deadline if a rival team comes close to matching (or even matches) what was surely a high initial asking price for the hurler’s services.

Despite Alcantara’s struggles, the Mets, Cubs, Red Sox, and Padres remained linked to his trade market.  San Diego’s interest is related to the Cease talks, as the speculation has been that the Padres could both deal Cease (an impending free agent) to address multiple roster needs, while then adding another starting pitcher either as part of the return for Cease for in another deal altogether.

Cease was reportedly the Astros’ top deadline target, so this turn towards Alcantara could represent a number of things.  It could be simply due diligence on Houston’s part, or a sign that the talks with San Diego are going nowhere because the Padres wish to retain Cease, or perhaps a sign that the Padres are more motivated to send Cease elsewhere.

Whereas Cease is a rental, Alcantara is controlled through the 2027 season.  He is owed the remainder of his $17MM salary for 2025, $17MM more in 2026, and Miami has a $21MM club option for 2027 that contains a $2MM buyout.  Adding Alcantara over Cease would be a whole new financial ballgame for the Astros, who made an effort to stay under the luxury tax threshold this past winter.

With the Mariners and Rangers charging hard in the AL West race, Astros owner Jim Crane may be willing to pay into the tax again in order to give his team some much-needed reinforcements.  If the pre-TJ version of Alcantara emerges, his salary suddenly looks like a relative bargain for a frontline pitcher.  Framber Valdez is also a free agent after the season, so the Astros could view Alcantara as a longer-term replacement if Valdez walks.

Astros To Acquire Ramon Urias

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The Astros are reportedly in agreement to acquire infielder Ramón Urías from Baltimore. The O’s get minor league pitcher Twine Palmer in return.

Urías has some defensive versatility but figures to play everyday at the hot corner in Houston. The Astros lost Isaac Paredes to a significant hamstring strain a couple weeks ago. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggested this morning that season-ending surgery was a possibility. Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 subsequently reported that Paredes is seeking out multiple opinions in hopes of avoiding the knife. In any case, he’s expected to miss at least two months.

Urias, 31, joined the Orioles in a February 2020 waiver claim and found himself getting a decent amount of playing time the following year.  In 2022, Urias won the AL Gold Glove at third base despite playing fewer than 800 innings there.  He’s led the Orioles in third base innings every year since.

Despite the Gold Glove on his mantle, Urias’ third base defense has been a bit erratic over the years by measure of Statcast Outs Above Average.  After subpar marks in 2023 and ’24, he’s back to demonstrating positive defense this year.  The defensive runs saved metric backs the fact that Urias has had a resurgence with the leather.

Urias has been a sneaky good hitter at times for Baltimore, showing above average offense 2021, ’22, and ’24.  However, after last year’s fine 114 wRC+, Urias has slipped to a 90 mark this year in 290 plate appearances.  A right-handed hitter, Urias has a 124 wRC+ against southpaws dating back to 2024.

Given Paredes’ injury, Urias makes for a solid stopgap for the Orioles without the acquisition or financial cost of recently-traded third basemen Eugenio Suarez, Ryan McMahon, and Ke’Bryan Hayes.  Urias, who is under the Astros’ control through 2026, will be owed a raise on this year’s $3.15MM salary.  The Astros can either move him in the offseason, or work him into the second base picture next year.

Following tonight’s thumping of the Nationals, the Astros sit at 62-47.  With 53 games left in the regular season, they’re 4.5 ahead of the Mariners in the AL West.  Not long after the Astros picked up Urias, the Mariners landed perhaps the prize of the 2025 trade deadline in Suarez.  Suarez had, at the least, been on the Astros’ radar.

The Astros have flirted with big deadline moves as well, having approached the Twins about the possibility of acquiring Carlos Correa and also showing interest in the Padres’ Dylan Cease.  Correa was always viewed as unlikely, and perhaps third base is now settled with Urias anyway.  But the Astros were known to have been seeking a left-handed bat, with Brandon Lowe said to be one potential target for GM Dana Brown.

Urias is just one of many veterans departing the disappointing Orioles at the trade deadline.  They followed the Urias trade by almost immediately shipping Andrew Kittredge to the Cubs, and have also unloaded relievers Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, and Bryan Baker.  The trades of Urias, Kittredge, and Baker suggest Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias is willing to move players under control beyond this year.  He’s got plenty of rentals, too.  Those still on the trading block include Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano, and perhaps Trevor Rogers.

Twine Palmer, a 20-year-old righty, was drafted by the Astros out of Connors State College in Oklahoma in the 19th round last year.  Working in A-ball this year, Palmer owns a 2.13 ERA in 13 games, including eight starts.  He’s punched out more than a quarter of hitters but has also issued free passes to nearly 13% of them.  He boasts a strong groundball rate near 55% and thus has yet to allow a home run.

Palmer was not among the Astros’ top 30 prospects, per Baseball America and MLB.com.  FanGraphs ranked him 37th, with James Fegan writing, “A funky reliever is probably all that should be hoped for at this stage, but that’s more than most dare dreaming about in the 19th round.”  With all due respect to Palmer, this trade illustrates the point that teams can acquire useful veterans like Urias at the trade deadline without giving up much in the way of prospects.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Urías was headed to Houston. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com had Palmer’s inclusion the other way.

Astros Interested In Dylan Cease

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TODAY: Cease is the Astros’ “main target,” a source tells MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

JULY 29: The Astros have Padres right-hander Dylan Cease atop their deadline wish list, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Houston is also known to be looking for a bat and the report lists Willi Castro of the Twins, Jesús Sánchez of the Marlins and Jake McCarthy of the Diamondbacks as names the Astros are considering. MLBTR covered Houston’s interested in Castro earlier this week.

The Houston rotation has had a rough go in terms of health this year. They started the season with Luis Garcia, J.P. France and Cristian Javier on the injured list due to surgeries in previous years. They’re all still on the shelf. Since the start of the season, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski have required Tommy John surgery, putting them out for the rest of the year. Spencer Arrighetti suffered a fractured thumb in a freak accident, getting hit during batting practice, and has been out for almost three months now. In the past two weeks, Lance McCullers Jr. hit the IL with a blister and Brandon Walter was sidelined by elbow inflammation.

They still have a strong one-two punch atop the rotation with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown but things get dicey after that. Currently, Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto and Jason Alexander are filling in. The Astros will naturally want to add some arms and push those guys down the depth chart. It’s possible they could get some guys off the IL in the coming months, but it’s understandable that they don’t want to rely on that.

Cease has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the game. Since getting promoted in 2019, he hasn’t gone on the injured list, apart from a two-day stint on the COVID list in 2021. He made 12 starts in the shortened 2020 season. He has made at least 32 starts in each full season since. He’s already up to 22 this year.

That reliability would certainly be attractive to the Astros amid all the injuries, though the quality has often been quite strong as well, as Cease has regularly struck out roughly 30% of batters faced. His earned run average has oscillated over the years thanks to some wobbles in his batting average on balls in play, strand rate and home run rate. His advanced metrics have held more steady. For his career, he has a 3.69 FIP and 3.82. In a full season, he’s never had a SIERA higher than 4.10 or a FIP higher than 3.72.

This year’s 4.79 ERA in on the high side, though at least part of that seems to be beyond Cease’s control. His .323 BABIP, 68.5% strand rate and 13.3% homer to fly ball rate are all to the unfortunate side. His 3.64 FIP and 3.37 SIERA suggest he’s largely been the same guy as in previous seasons. His ERA is also inflated a bit by a nine-run shellacking in his third start of the year.

Though Cease makes plenty of sense for the Astros on the field, there are other matters to consider. He is making $13.75MM this year, which leaves about $4.5MM left to be paid out. The Astros have clearly tried to avoid the competitive balance tax this year, dumping money in the offseason by trading Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly. RosterResource currently pegs the club’s CBT number at $236MM, just $5MM from the base threshold of the tax. That’s just an estimate and it might be off by a few million in either direction.

Perhaps the Astros can add Cease and stay under the line but they also want to add a bat, which could make it tricky. On the other hand, the report from The Athletic suggests that owner Jim Crane likes star players and might be willing to cross the line in order to get someone like Cease. He was reportedly willing to cross the line in the offseason in order to re-sign Alex Bregman, though Bregman ultimately landed with the Red Sox.

The Astros will also have to offer the Padres something they would like. The Friars aren’t selling in the commonly understood sense. Their plan with dealing Cease is to perhaps save some money, add a left fielder or a catcher, or prospects, or some combination of those goals. They could then use either the prospects or the saved money to acquire another starting pitching to replace Cease.

Houston doesn’t have a strong farm system, so perhaps the prospect part will be hard for them to pull off, though they could help out in some of the other areas. Catcher Victor Caratini is having a good year, though Yainer Diaz is struggling, so perhaps the Astros wouldn’t want to part with Caratini. Though if they did, Caratini is making $6MM this year, so flipping him would give the Astros some extra CBT space.

In the outfield, the Astros are currently without Jake Meyers and Yordan Alvarez. Their current mix includes Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell, Jose Altuve, Jacob Melton, Cooper Hummel and Chas McCormick. Houston’s not giving a ton of playing time to McCormick, who has some decent seasons on his track record. However, he hasn’t been good for a couple of years now, so the Padres probably don’t have too much interest. Trammell has been hitting well lately but while striking out in more than 30% of his plate appearances. Hummel has been DFA fodder all year. Altuve and Smith aren’t going anywhere. Melton might be hard to pry loose because he hits left-handed, something the Astros lack, and is covering center field with Meyers out.

The report from The Athletic points out that the Astros traded three notable prospects to get a rental pitcher at last year’s deadline, flipping Jake Bloss, Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner to the Jays for Yusei Kikuchi. Perhaps they could do so again, though it’s unclear if they have the farm system to do it.

If they have some guys the Padres like, it’s theoretically possible that the Friars could then use those guys to upgrade elsewhere. A sequence of events like this helped them land Cease in the first place. They traded Juan Soto to the Yankees for a bunch of pitchers, including Michael King and Drew Thorpe. They then quickly put Thorpe in a package to send to the White Sox to get Cease. Perhaps the Astros can make it work but they will have competition. Cease has also been connected to the Mets, Cubs, Blue Jays, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees.

As for the hitters, the Astros have also suffered a number of injuries to the lineup. As mentioned, Alvarez and Meyers are on the shelf, as well as shortstop Jeremy Peña, third baseman Isaac Paredes and others. Astros general manager Dana Brown has said the club would love to get a lefty bat, ideally one who could play the infield and/or left field. Players like Altuve, Mauricio Dubón and Zack Short have some defensive versatility, giving the Astros a bit of flexibility in what kind of bat they add.

Sánchez has been a roughly league average bat in his time with the Marlins. He has a .243/.310/.425 career batting line and a wRC+ of exactly 100. He is making $4.5MM this year, which leaves about $1.5MM left to be paid out. He can be controlled via arbitration for another two seasons. He’s been far better against righties in his career, which could appeal to Houston. He has a .179/.228/.287 slash against southpaws but a .258/.330/.459 line otherwise. The rebuilding Marlins likely aren’t clinging too tightly to him.

McCarthy has been good in the past but not this year. He slashed .285/.349/.400 for a 110 wRC+ in 2024, also adding 25 steals and quality defense. This year, he has a brutal .158/.232/.277 line and was sent to the minors for a few months. He did hit well in Triple-A, slashing .314/.401/.440, so perhaps the Astros see a path to getting him back on track. He still hasn’t qualified for arbitration and is being paid around the league minimum, which would be attractive for the Astros.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Astros Talked With Mets About Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio

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The Astros are keen on adding left-handed hitting to their righty-heavy lineup, and “at least inquired” with the Mets about the availability of Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty, and switch-hitter Ronny Mauricio, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Since the Mets are known to be open to dealing from their infield depth, a trade between the two sides would seem to make sense on paper, though it isn’t known if the discussions gained any traction.

McNeil is in something of a different category than the other two players, as McNeil is an established big league commodity.  In fact, the 33-year-old is again producing above-average offense after a couple of down years, as McNeil is hitting .251/.356/.453 with nine home runs over 265 plate appearances.  Between this steady bat and McNeil’s ability to play both second base and all three outfield positions (with a particular focus on center field this year), it is hard to imagine the Mets parting ways with such a key cog in their lineup.

On the financial side of things, McNeil is controlled through 2027 as per the four-year, $50MM extension he signed with New York prior to the 2023 season.  He is owed the remainder of his $15.75MM salary for 2025, another $15.75MM in 2026, and there is a $2MM buyout on a $15.75MM club option for 2027.  Barring a similar contract heading back to the Mets, a McNeil trade would put the Astros well over the luxury tax threshold, which seemed to be an unofficial spending limit for the club last offseason.  Recent reports indicate that Houston might well consider exceeding the tax line in certain circumstances, but bringing McNeil aboard may not qualify.

Landing Baty or Mauricio is perhaps more of a viable option for the Astros, though New York would also want something significant for either player, given their years of team control and their still-recent status as top-100 prospects.  Baty has hit only .220/.284/.352 over 865 PA in the majors, however, and perhaps has fallen out of favor after once being viewed as the Amazins’ third baseman of the future.  Mauricio has a more respectable .245/.303/.400 slash line from a small sample of 238 career PA, and he is back in action this season after missing the entire 2024 campaign recovering from a torn ACL.

While the two youngsters still have something to prove as big leaguers, the change-of-scenery potential could be attractive to the Astros, as well as Houston’s more immediate near-term needs.  The Astros were thin on left-handed hitting even before the heavy swath of injuries that sent seven position players to the IL — Yordan Alvarez, their most prominent lefty-swinger, has now missed close to three months due to a hand fracture.

Jeremy Pena is expected back at shortstop within the next few days, so Baty or Mauricio could be used at second or third base.  Isaac Paredes and Brendan Rodgers are also on the IL and not expected back soon, so a new face at second base would move Jose Altuve into left field on a more regular basis, thus addressing Houston’s outfield needs.  (GM Dana Brown outlined this possible scenario this past weekend.)

Astros, Cody Bolton Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Astros signed right-hander Cody Bolton to a minor league contract last week, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He has been assigned to the team’s Florida complex. Bolton hasn’t logged any game action since April 23, so the Astros will give him runway to build up before presumably assigning him to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Bolton was released by the Guardians on June 6. The 27-year-old had been on the Triple-A injured list for the previous five weeks. MLBTR has learned that Bolton had unfortunately sustained injuries in a car accident in late April. The Guardians wound up designating him for assignment a month later when they needed a 40-man roster spot to active David Fry from the 60-day IL. Injured players cannot go on outright waivers, so Bolton was subsequently released.

The 6’2″ righty made one appearance for the Guardians in late April, allowing three runs in two innings. He spent time with the Pirates in 2023 and Mariners last year. Bolton owns a 5.79 earned run average in 42 big league frames. He has a stronger Triple-A track record, posting a 3.42 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents in four seasons at the top minor league level. He sits in the 94 MPH range with both his four-seam fastball and sinker and leans fairly heavily on a low-80s breaking ball.

Bolton has worked from the bullpen over the past couple seasons but was a starter in the Pittsburgh system early in his career. Once he’s back in game shape, he could serve as either middle relief or rotation depth. Bolton has less than a year of MLB service and still has a minor league option, so the Astros would be able to bounce him between Daikin Park and Sugar Land if he secures a 40-man roster spot.

Astros, Mets Have Expressed Interest In Brandon Lowe

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The Rays are a game above .500 and sit 2.5 back of the AL’s final Wild Card spot. A terrible 6-15 showing in July has dropped them from expected buyers to a bubble team that looks likely to walk the line between adding and trading away veterans. They began that process on Monday, shipping out impending free agent catcher Danny Jansen in one deal while acquiring a slightly worse but controllable backstop (Nick Fortes) in a second trade. They downgraded a bit in the short term to add a superior prospect than the one they surrendered without giving up on the season.

Trading Jansen is an easier call than it’d be to move either Brandon Lowe or Yandy Díaz. They’re longer-tenured members of the organization and more impactful players. The Rays had been reluctant to move Díaz or Lowe for most of this month. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported over the weekend that the team’s recent play has led the front office to be more open to hearing other teams out on the pair of veteran hitters.

Joel Sherman of The New York Post wrote on Monday that the Rays still prefer to add. That preceded a win over the Yankees in the first of a four-game set in the Bronx that’ll run up to the deadline. The Red Sox are known to be monitoring Díaz in case the Rays sell. Meanwhile, Sherman reports that the Mets and Astros are among the teams that have contacted the Rays about Lowe. He suggests that Houston, in particular, has strong interest in the left-handed hitting second baseman. Astros GM Dana Brown has made no secret about his goal of acquiring a lefty bat to provide a semblance of balance to the game’s most right-handed lineup.

Lowe is currently on the 10-day injured list with ankle tendinitis. The Rays seem to anticipate he’ll be back when first eligible on Wednesday. Lowe already had a minimal IL stay this month because of oblique tightness. The two-time All-Star has had an impressive year around the recent injuries. He’s batting .269/.320/.480 across 350 trips to the plate — including a massive .296/.352/.556 line following a dismal April. His 19 home runs rank second at the position behind Ketel Marte’s 20.

Houston could plug Lowe in at the keystone and use Jose Altuve as a primary designated hitter until Yordan Alvarez returns from a hand fracture. At that point, Altuve could return to left field and push Taylor Trammell, who is hitting well in 25 games but has a limited MLB track record, to a fourth outfield role.

The Mets don’t have a huge need on the dirt, but they’ve reportedly considered moving one of their controllable infielders (Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña) for help elsewhere on the roster. Lowe would be a significant offensive upgrade over Baty, who is playing regularly at second base. It makes sense that the Mets at least gauged the Rays’ asking price, but there’s no indication they’ve made a huge push. President of baseball operations David Stearns has cast the bullpen as his top priority, with secondary interests ranging from the rotation to center field.

Lowe is playing on a $10.5MM salary, around $3.35MM of which will be owed after the deadline. The Rays can keep him around for another season on an $11.5MM club option. That comes with a $500K buyout.

Astros Interested In Willi Castro

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The Astros’ desire to add some left-handed balance to their righty-heavy lineup doesn’t mean the team is restricting itself to solely lefty-swingers.  Houston has interest in switch-hitting utilityman Willi Castro, according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome, though the depth of any talks between the Astros and Twins isn’t known.

Now in his third straight year of above-average offensive production, Castro’s 116 wRC+ — from a .254/.342/.423 slash line and 10 homers in 331 plate appearances — projects as his best over a full season.  Castro’s career splits are pretty much even, though this season has seen him hit considerably better as a right-handed hitter (.836 OPS in 94 PA) than from the left side of the plate (.739 OPS over 233 PA).  A marked increase in slugging percentage is the biggest difference between the two splits, though there is the caveat of a pretty small sample size in 2025, in comparison to the wider measure of Castro’s entire seven-year MLB career.

Even that more modest production as a left-handed bat would still check a big box for an Astros team that was sorely in need of lefty swingers even before Yordan Alvarez’s extended stint on the injured list.  Taylor Trammell and Jon Singleton are the only left-handed hatters on Houston’s active roster, and Victor Caratini and Cooper Hummel are switch-hitters.  While the Astros have good offensive numbers overall, their collective 101 wRC+ against right-handed pitching ranks around the middle of the league, and is a clear flaw to be exploited by rival pitching staffs.

Castro’s ability to play all over the diamond is also a key selling point to his trade value.  Houston has nine position players on the injured list, so Castro can both help provide needed depth right now, and can be mixed-and-matched at any number of positions once some of those injured Astros get back to action.  Speaking with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM today, Astros GM Dana Brown said that it would be particularly helpful to obtain a left-handed bat who can play within the infield or in left field specifically, as landing such a left field option would allow the Astros to move Jose Altuve back to second base and address the undermanned infield mix.

Third base could be the larger issue at the moment, as Brown also stated today that Isaac Paredes would be getting a second opinion on a hamstring strain that “is a little bit more severe than we projected.”  Manager Joe Espada already stated earlier this week that Paredes was facing a “pretty serious” injury and wouldn’t comment one way or the other about the possibility that Paredes’ season could be over.  Brown’s update that Paredes is getting a second opinion seems to imply that a hamstring surgery could be under consideration, which would certainly rule Paredes out for the remainder of 2025.

Minnesota’s 7-2 loss to the Nationals today dropped the Twins to 50-55 on the season, and 5.5 games back of the last AL wild card slot.  It is becoming increasingly likely that the Twins will be primarily looking to sell at the deadline, and thus impending free agents like Castro are natural trade chips.  Castro’s versatility and switch-hitting bat will make him a hot commodity in trade talks, plus the roughly $2.133MM remaining on his $6.4MM salary for 2025 makes him a fit in any contender’s budget.

For the Astros in particular, Castro’s low price tag has appeal since the club is known to be wanting to stay under the $241MM luxury tax threshold.  Houston’s estimated $235.5MM tax number (as per RosterResource) gives the Astros only a little bit of room to maneuver, but since injuries have opened up so many holes on the roster, it will be difficult for Brown to address everything in a meaningful way without bringing in enough extra salary to cross the tax line.

Astros Claim Logan Davidson, Place Brandon Walter On Injured List

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The Astros announced Friday that they’ve claimed infielder Logan Davidson off waivers from the A’s and designated right-hander Nick Robertson for assignment in a corresponding move. Houston also placed lefty Brandon Walter on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation and recalled righty Nick Hernandez from Triple-A Sugar Land.

Davidson, 27, was the Athletics’ first-round pick back in 2017. He was designated for assignment earlier in the week. The Clemson product made his big league debut this season and collected his first few big league hits but only tallied 24 plate appearances. He’s spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .263/.412/.397 with a colossal 19.4% walk rate but a 26.4% strikeout rate and only seven homers in 330 plate appearances.

That’s Davidson’s third run at the Triple-A level. He’s a career .278/.374/.446 hitter in just over 900 plate appearances there. Davidson has primarily been a shortstop in his pro career but has at least 500 innings at all four infield positions and another 350 innings of outfield work under his belt. He’ll add a switch-hitting depth piece with a full slate of minor league options to the Houston depth chart.

The Astros added Robertson, 27, in an April 1 trade with the Blue Jays. He’s spent the whole season in Triple-A, where he’s worked 32 2/3 innings of relief with a 4.68 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate and grisly 17.2% walk rate.

Robertson has a history of missing bats in the upper minors but also well below-average command. He’s pitched 35 2/3 innings across four teams (Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, Jays) and posted a 5.30 ERA while fanning nearly a quarter of his opponents against a 6.8% walk rate. Houston has five days to trade him or place him on outright waivers.

Walter’s IL placement is the latest in a seemingly neverending spree of injuries to Astros pitchers. The former Red Sox prospect signed a minor league deal over the winter and has been a revelation in Houston filling in for other injured starters like Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski.

In 53 2/3 innings, Walter has posted a 3.35 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate and an outrageous 1.9% walk rate (four walks). He’s started nine games and looked to have a rotation spot locked down before his elbow flared up.

Elbow concerns for any pitcher are ominous, but that’s perhaps particularly true in Walter’s case. He missed the entire 2024 season due to injury — albeit a rotator cuff strain rather than anything pertaining to his elbow. Still, it’s a discouraging development for him to run into another arm injury in relatively short order after returning from an entirely lost season.

The Astros were on the lookout for pitching earlier this summer, but general manager Dana Brown recently suggested that in light of a serious injury to third baseman Isaac Paredes (to say nothing of an increasingly protracted absence for Yordan Alvarez), his focus is instead on bolstering the lineup. That, of course, was before word came down about Walter’s elbow.

With Walter on the shelf, Houston’s rotation includes co-aces Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez and rookies Colton Gordon and Ryan Gusto. Candidates to step into Walter’s spot include Jason Alexander, AJ Blubaugh and Miguel Ullola, although Houston also has Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr. on the mend.

Latest On Eugenio Suárez’s Market

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The D-backs have officially chosen a lane and are heading down a seller’s trajectory. First baseman Josh Naylor is already on his way to the Mariners for a pair of pitching prospects, but it’s third baseman Eugenio Suárez and his thunderous power output that have captivated fans of contenders for much of deadline season. The 33-year-old, earning $15MM in the final year of his contract, is hitting .252/.325/.593 with 36 home runs on the season — including 21 round-trippers dating back to June 1 (a span of 179 plate appearances.

Even after the Mariners landed Naylor, they remain in the mix for Suárez, per multiple reports from the Seattle beat (link via Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 770 AM). Naylor cost the Mariners two well-regarded pitching prospects — lefty Brandyn Garcia and righty Ashton Izzi — but left the upper tiers of a Seattle farm system that’s arguably the best in baseball untouched. Earlier in the week, Suárez was reported to be the Mariners’ top deadline target. Adding Naylor, it seems, will not put an end to that existing pursuit.

They’ll face steep competition, however, It’s known that in addition to the Mariners, each of the Reds, Cubs and Yankees have some level of interest in the Arizona third baseman. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported earlier today that as many as a dozen teams have at least looked into the possibility of adding Suárez to their lineup.

That includes at least one division rival. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports that in the wake of a serious injury to Isaac Paredes, the Astros have joined the bidding for Suárez. Houston has some hurdles in their path to landing the coveted D-backs slugger, however. Owner Jim Crane has been loath to cross the luxury tax threshold for what would be a second straight season. Adding Suárez would put them into tax territory unless the ’Stros shed payroll elsewhere or convince the Snakes to pay down his salary. Houston also does not have as strong a farm system as many of the teams against which they’d be bidding.

Whether it’s Suárez or another bat, the Astros’ priorities seem to have shifted. General manager Dana Brown suggested earlier in the summer that pitching would be his primary focus. Now, with Paredes shelved indefinitely and Yordan Alvarez’s recovery from a hand fracture dragging out, Brown tells Chandler Rome of The Athletic that his primary focus is on adding to its lineup. The Astros have several starters on the mend, including Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France and Lance McCullers Jr. It seems they’ll hope for some internal reinforcements to support co-aces Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez and instead aim to use their limited financial and prospect resources to augment the offense.

With that number of teams at least on the periphery of the market, it can be presumed that most contenders have at least put out some feelers. One team that notably is not in the running, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, is the Mets — at least for the moment. Despite a rotating cast of characters on the infield this year — Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña have all seen time around the infield but struggled to varying extents — the Mets’ main focus has been and remains upgrading the bullpen.

That said, SNY’s Andy Martino suggests that if the Mets use that infield depth to add to the bullpen or rotation (which they’re reportedly willing to do), they could at least consider the idea of pursuing Suárez to take over at the hot corner. The Mets haven’t been keen on parting with top prospects for rental players, but the D-backs have been scouting their Double-A club, in particular, with an eye toward potential Suárez packages, per Martino.

There’s no immediate indication that a Suárez trade will come together quickly on the heels of the Naylor swap, but the very fact that Naylor is on his way out the door serves as a clear indicator that any combination of Suárez, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly — at the very least — could be on the move in the next week. The D-backs also have rental relievers Jalen Beeks and Shelby Miller as trade candidates (Miller is on the injured list but has resumed throwing), and outfielder Randal Grichuk has a mutual option that won’t be exercised by both parties.

Isaac Paredes Has “Pretty Significant” Injury; Astros Could Pursue Additional Bat

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Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes went on the injured list with a strained hamstring over the weekend, and manager Joe Espada last night suggested that the 26-year-old slugger won’t be back anytime soon. Espada called Paredes’ hamstring issue “pretty serious” and added that while the team is still awaiting further testing results before an official diagnosis and recovery timetable is provided, the injury is “definitely something that’s going to keep him out for a while” (link via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle). Espada could not definitively say whether Paredes would return this season.

It’s yet another brutal injury blow to an Astros club that has somehow weathered an avalanche of health troubles to sit atop the AL West. Houston has only gotten 29 games out of Yordan Alvarez this year due to an ongoing hand injury that was originally diagnosed as inflammation before the team eventually revealed he’s dealing with a small fracture. Jeremy Peña’s breakout season was interrupted by a broken rib in late June. He’s missed nearly a month. Outfielders Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick and Jacob Melton have spent time on the injured list; Meyers and Melton are there presently.

The pitching side of the coin has been even worse. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski both required Tommy John surgery by early June. Spencer Arrighetti hasn’t pitched since early April after suffering a fluke injury when he was playing catch in the outfield during batting practice and was struck by a batted ball. Luis Garcia’s rehab from 2023 Tommy John surgery is now up to well over two years in the making after some early-season setbacks.

Houston has persevered through it all, improbably sitting 17 games over .500 thanks in no small part to dominant pitching performances from Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez, Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu and several unexpected contributors (e.g. Bennett Sousa, Steven Okert, Shawn Dubin, Ryan Gusto, Brandon Walter, Colton Gordon). They’ve also enjoyed career-best performances at the plate from Meyers, Mauricio Dubon and catcher Victor Caratini.

Paredes has been a huge part of the team’s success, however, playing in 94 of 101 games and batting .259/.359/.470 with a team-leading 19 home runs. He hasn’t singlehandedly replaced Kyle Tucker’s bat in the lineup, but Paredes and Cam Smith — both acquired in the Tucker return — have provided above-average offense throughout the season.

With Paredes sidelined indefinitely, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that the Astros are now likelier to target an additional bat than they were prior to the injury. Houston had been looking around for a left-handed bat who could help at second base, but GM Dana Brown’s primary focus had been on improving his strained pitching depth.

It creates a fascinating dynamic for the Astros. Over the winter, it was clear that owner Jim Crane was only interested in exceeding the luxury tax threshold for what would be a second straight season in very specific cases (namely, if it meant re-signing Alex Bregman at their price — not his). Trades of Tucker and Ryan Pressly helped keep the team’s CBT number under the $241MM first-tier threshold even as they brought in free agent Christian Walker on a three-year contract. The April trade of Rafael Montero to the Braves — in which they surprisingly found a taker for a portion of his underwater contract — spared the Astros just under $3MM of his salary and created a bit more breathing room. That could wind up being pivotal if Crane remains intent on avoiding the luxury tax.

RosterResource projects the Astros for about $235.5MM worth of CBT considerations — just $5.5MM shy of the threshold. Cot’s Contracts is a bit more bearish at $238.9MM. Both of those are estimates, as the exact calculations of CBT spending are not all publicly available. But they still paint a generally similar picture: the Astros have minimal wiggle room with which to operate if keeping that number under $241MM is still a priority.

The Astros could always convince a trade partner to pay down some of a new acquisition’s salary, but doing so would require paying an increased price in terms of prospects. Houston’s farm system is not well-regarded, though their player development staff continues to churn out players (particularly pitchers) who exceed industry expectations. If the team needs to stay under the $241MM level, finding pre-arbitration players would be one path to explore, though the prices on those players will be notable.

The Mets are open to dealing from their infield depth (including lefty-swinging third baseman/second baseman Brett Baty), presenting one possible path. Tampa Bay speedster Jose Caballero is a below-average hitter who bats from the right side of the dish but is a plus defender with 32 stolen bases already. He’s reportedly drawn trade interest. Houston could also look to buy low on a former top prospect like Minnesota’s Edouard Julien or the Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman. Julien is hitting well in Triple-A but has slipped down the organization’s depth chart. Gorman is out with a back injury at the moment but has provided average offense for the Cards. The St. Louis infield picture is getting more cluttered, however, and Gorman could be squeezed out when top prospect JJ Wetherholt is ready for a big league look. Those are speculative examples, to be clear, but that’s the type of move that could provide some infield help while managing CBT limitations.

Another alternative would be trading from the big league roster to try to free up a bit more financial freedom. The previously mentioned McCormick is making $3.4MM and doesn’t have a starting role, especially when Meyers returns. Trading him would trim about $1.22MM from the CBT bill (as of this writing, though that number will drop incrementally as the deadline draws nearer). One way or another, Houston will be one of the more interesting clubs to track between now and next week’s trade deadline.

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