The Houston Astros will be in the market for starting pitching help at the trade deadline. Dealing with plenty of injuries in the rotation, the Astros will explore their options to help weather the storm.
Per ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Astros have expressed interest in Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Charlie Morton.
“It seems very likely that Charlie Morton (3.47 ERA last 12 appearances) will be traded, within a relatively thin starting pitching market and a lot of teams looking for help -- the Padres, Yankees, maybe the Mets or Astros; a number of teams have expressed interest,” Olney reported. “In the past, Morton has had a preference to pitch for a team closer to the East Coast and his FL home, but he doesn't control that. [Orioles] GM Mike Elias does.”
The 41-year-old Morton has had a rough go on the mound this season as a whole, pitching to a 5-8 record with a 5.58 ERA in 21 appearances (15 starts). However, as Olney mentioned, Morton has pitched better of late, which could entice teams such as the Astros to swoop in.
The Astros are currently dealing with an enormous amount of injuries to their pitching staff. Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco, J.P. France, and Hayden Wesneski among others are all currently on the shelf with injuries.
Adding Morton to the staff would help weather the storm for the time being, while also giving the Astros another depth option in the rotation. Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have held down the fort so far, but they can only do so for so long.