Astros Trade Scott Feldman, Activate Joe Musgrove

The Astros make two minor trades at the deadline.

The Astros were expected to be buyers at the 2016 MLB trade deadline. Things were pretty quiet surrounding the Astros until 24-hours before the 3 pm CST deadline. The Astros were originally going after starting pitching, then switched plans to seek out proven hitters. The Astros were engaged in trade conversations, but besides two trades, Jeff Luhnow did not add to the current team.

They did trade Scott Feldman to the Toronto Blue Jays for a Gulf Coast League 18-year-old pitcher Guadalupe Chavez. The Jays signed him out of the Mexican League in 2014 as a 16-year-old who could already throw 93 mph. He is a piece of the future for the Astros, but Jeff Luhnow has a history of plucking young players out of the lower levels of the minors.

Brandon suggested that Feldman could be traded on last night’s Talking Stros.

Feldman, for the most part, has been a stable force in the Astros bullpen since he was removed from the rotation. He got roughed up against the Tigers this past weekend, but which Astros pitcher did not struggle then? The Blue Jays got Feldman because they will need to shut Aaron Sanchez down soon because of innings restrictions, so having a veteran like Feldman for the rest of the season will be great.

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

The Astros lost a surprisingly solid bullpen piece, but the upside is that Joseph Musgrove is officially activated before tonight’s game. In an interview, Musgrove said that the Astros told him that he will pitch out of the bullpen for now. He could get a start when Doug Fister needs to go on paternity leave. Musgrove’s future is in the rotation, but many Astros pitchers have started in the bullpen.

While I know that many Astros fans are probably upset that the Astros did not trade for help for 2016, they have the depth to compete with what they have. They signed Yulieski Gurriel to be the deadline acquisition to help the offense, and Alex Bregman‘s true potential has not been on display yet this year.

I’m looking forward to tonight’s game, as the Astros face tough matchups with the Blue Jays and Rangers. Feldman will be pitching for the Blue Jays possibly, so he didn’t have to travel far.

Next: Astros: Talking Stros With Jake Kaplan Before Trade Deadline

Josh Fields was traded for first baseman Yordan Alverez, mostly to open a spot soon on the 40-man roster for James Hoyt. The Astros traded some of their depth to be able to add fresh arms in Hoyt and Musgrove, even though Hoyt is not being added to the 25-man roster at the moment. When Fister does go on paternity leave, Hoyt could then be brought up for three days.