Astros could turn to the minors yet again after Royals swipe key free agent target

With the expected loss of Yusei Kikuchi to free agency and the departure of Justin Verlander, the Houston Astros' rotation is going to look very different next season than in 2024. In Verlander's case, the change is likely to be welcome, but Kikuchi's departure is going to be felt in real ways. The Astros do have a few players hopefully returning from injury, which will help, but finding an affordable veteran starter like Michael Wacha to fill the void could have been ideal.

Wacha has flown under the radar a bit, but he entered this offseason coming off three really strong seasons (with three different teams at that) where he posted a combined 3.30 ERA. His relative lack of swing and miss stuff, along with generally needing his usage limited in the past, has kept him from cashing in, but he's long been among the kings of getting weak fly balls. If Houston was looking to just add a solid middle of the rotation arm, Wacha should have been on the top of the list.

However, any hopes that the Astros could go out and nab him were quickly dashed, as Wacha re-signed with the Royals on a three year deal to kickstart the offseason.

Given the Astros' payroll constraints and the number of injured arms that are going to attempt a comeback, it now looks likely that a lesser known Houston pitching prospect could instead factor into their 2025 rotation plans in Miguel Ullola.

Miguel Ullola could be a dark horse candidate for Astros' 2025 rotation given lack of viable free agent options

Obviously the dead money on the Astros' payroll is a problem this offseason, and unless they trade some pretty big names, that is just the way it is going to be. Even if Wacha had hit the open market, Houston actually being able to pay him $17ish million a year would have been tough, especially if the team's interest in keeping Alex Bregman is strong. Fortunately, the Astros do have at least one pitching prospect in Ullola that could take the sting out of their expected rotation losses.

Ullola is far from a perfect option, as his walk rate/command leave a lot to be desired at the moment; he posted 73 walks in 127.1 innings in 2024 at Double-A. However, the fastball specialist also struck out 166 batters over the same span, and that has gotten a lot of scouts' attention -- including from other teams, as Chandler Rome recently reported that Ullola got substantial interest at this year's trade deadline.

While the Astros won't have to add Ullola to their 40-man roster during the offseason, that doesn't mean he won't get a long look next spring as a rotation option. The Astros have other roster needs they may want to spend their free agent dollars on now that the market is looking more clear and, given Ullola's upside, they may just decide to take a chance on him or their injured arms filling out the rest of their 2025 rotation.

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