Astros Rumors: Team wants Jacob deGrom but he is not available

There is one name that Astros fans would like to acquire more than others.

That would be Madison Bumgarner with how he can dominate in the postseason. Dream on Astros fans, Bumgarner will not be traded, he is untouchable. Next on the list would be Marcus Stroman, Chris Archer, and Jacob deGrom. The next tier would be Gerrit Cole, Julio Teheran, and Sonny Gray.

Not all of those players will be made available at the trade deadline. However, the Astros will be watching one pitcher in particular. One player that they may trade their top prospects for, that would be deGrom. They have reportedly asked about his availability via Tom Verducci of SI and Jon Heyman.

"“the Astros would love to add Mets ace Jacob deGrom, but there is no indication New York would even consider moving their one reliable starter who still has three years of arbitration control.” – Tom Veducci."

There have been several other articles and Tweets claiming that the Astros are after deGrom. Heyman is the first to mention that the Astros have already contacted the Mets to discuss deGrom. The team is looking for an impact arm, which is what the 29-year-old deGrom is. He would give you a pitcher who you would feel comfortable pitching in game three of the playoffs.

"“having known to have called on Teheran and even Mets star Jacob deGrom.” – Jon Heyman."

Fits what the Astros need.

The Astros want a player who would be under team control for the next few seasons with this group. DeGrom will be a free agent in 2021, which would be 3.5 seasons of team control. He would not be a rental and would make this team a World Series favorite. It’s like the Rockets are trying to do, get a big three rotation.

With a big three rotation plus a big three offense with George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Carlos Correa, this team could be awesome. They would have the pitching and hitting to beat any team, but especially the Indians. While Danny Salazar‘s season is up in the air, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco are tough. Adding deGrom will give the Astros the extra push in the rotation, but it will cost a lot.

Would the Mets trade him?

Although the Mets are having a down season, deGrom is a bright light. He is 9-3 with a 3.65 ERA while striking out 130 hitters in 111 innings. DeGrom would become a Texas gunslinger throwing some heat in the upper 90’s. He complements that with a hard slider and changeup in the high 80’s. When you are looking for a fastball, he will drop a low 80’s curve on you.

Like most pitchers who throw hard, when hitters make contact, the ball will fly. He has given up a career-high 18 homers which explains the slightly higher ERA than his career 2.91. With his ace upside, you would have to trade three of the top five prospects among others to get him. This is the one player that may be worth more than what the White Sox got for Jose Quintana.

Next: Finding an equivalent trade value for the Quintana haul

The one problem is the Mets have no reason to trade him and have not made him available yet. Which the lack of high impact starting pitchers on the market, the Astros will be ready to pounce if deGrom becomes available. He may be worth going all-in for if he is on the table.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs***