The Houston Astros kept themselves busy during the trade deadline this season. They were able to add some bats that the lineup desperately needed, like Jesus Sanchez and Ramon Urias. However, none were bigger than trading for Carlos Correa and bringing him back home to Houston.
Despite bringing a fan favorite back, the Astros did not get everything they were looking for during the deadline. They struck out on landing San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease. The two sides attempted to come together and make a deal work, but they were too far apart, and neither team was willing to let the other gain the upper hand.
MLB insider John Heyman recently revealed the gap that prevented these two teams from reaching a deal. San Diego was seeking controllable starting pitchers in return for Cease. That became more of a need after San Diego's deal to acquire Freddy Fermin, sending pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek to Kansas City.
The Fermin deal seemed to have caused San Diego to pivot and pull Dylan Cease off the market. Meanwhile, another report from USA Today's Bob Nightengale alleges that it was the Astros who pivoted away from the hard-throwing righty given the asking price.
While Cease would have been a nice addition, Houston did see a pitcher return from the IL to help them moving forward. Cristian Javier recently made his first start since May 21, 2024, after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. are right behind Javier in returning and are scheduled to make Triple-A starts later this week.