Astros rumors with a spotlight on Tigers closer Justin Wilson

Justin Wilson is a reliever who has been on the Astros radar since the offseason.

The Jose Quintana trade set a framework for what it will cost to acquire a top starter. Some people thought that Quintana wasn’t an impact starter, but the Cubs gave up quite a few players. This now sets the market for Sonny Gray and others as the trade deadline approaches. Teams like the Astros are affected.

Does this mean that you will have to give up that type of a package to get a pitcher like Gray? No, but it may detour some teams away from trading for a starter. One of those teams may be the Houston Astros who have been rumored to focusing on the bullpen.

No, this is not in desperation because Will Harris will miss the next week on the DL. This is also not in response to Michael Feliz struggling with command all of a sudden. When Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh return, the Astros can return Brad Peacock to the bullpen role. Joe Musgrove will be sent to Triple-A as a backup option.

Dynamic bullpen?

If they don’t trade for a starter, then they need to get another bullpen piece to shorten the game. Imagine in the playoffs having Keuchel pitch six innings, then you can bring in Chris Devenski, Harris, Ken Giles, or Justin Wilson. The Tigers closer Wilson could be exactly what the Astros need. He is a lefty reliever with proven success.

We have only Tony Sipp at the moment as our lefty, but he is not used too often in high leverage situations. The Astros are in the middle of Sipp’s three-year deal, so a second lefty would be valuable. This is why the Astros were rumored to have tried to trade for him this offseason. The deal fell apart, but it was rumored to be Wilson for Derek Fisher, according to Anthony Fenech.

Not sure who said no, but that is a good example of the value of trading for a reliever versus a starter. With the Astros potentially switching focus to a reliever, it’s no surprise that Wilson would be on their radar. Jeff Luhnow has a habit of trying to get players he struck out on before.

Sources say…

According to Ken Rosenthal, sources say that Wilson is indeed a trade target for the Astros. They failed in the offseason, but the Astros may have more desire to trade this time. In the offseason, you believe that you can wait till you see what you have on the roster. Then by the time the trade deadline comes around, you can make a better judgement call.

Wilson’s value has gone up this year with his 2.36 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. He is an affordable reliever with one season left before he’s a free agent. This could be a big move for the team, but Fisher’s value has risen as well with his play.

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I’m not totally abandoning trading for a starter, but the Astros want a specific type of starter. They will not trade for an Average Joe, they have 2-3 of those already. Like the Cubs last year, the Astros have the time to consider what will help them the most reach the World Series. Is Wilson that piece?

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***