Astros insider links hometown pitcher to Houston in bold deadline prediction

The Houston Astros have a solid 1-2 punch atop their starting rotation. There's no team in MLB who wants to see the combo of Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez this October in the postseason. The back of the Astros' rotation, however, is another story completely. If Houston is interested in bolstering the team's rotation ahead of the MLB trade deadline — and they should be — perhaps a Texas native will be on their short list.

The Athletic's Chandler Rome recently opined about a bold trade that Houston could make at the upcoming deadline with the Astros insider believing there may be no better way for the organization to improve the starting rotation than to bring Merrill Kelly back to his hometown.

Kelly, a Houston native, has been having another solid season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The right-hander is 8-5 coming out of the All-Star break with a 3.34 ERA in 20 starts for the D-backs this season. Kelly has 113 punch outs in 116 innings of work and has an impressive 1.057 WHIP.

Merrill Kelly should be on the Astros' wishlist, but will the D-backs be sellers at the MLB trade deadline?

Kelly's availability, however, may be in question. The D-backs have not yet committed to be sellers at the MLB trade deadline, and how Arizona responds coming out of the All-Star break may greatly impact Diamondbacks' GM Mike Hazen's decision making ahead of July 31.

The D-backs are in a tough spot. They're barely below .500, but playing in the NL West Division along with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants — all of whom are in the playoff picture at the moment — presents Arizona with an uphill climb over the second-half of the 2025 season. At 47-50, Arizona is 5½ games back in the chase for the final NL Wild Card spot.

If Arizona falls out of contention, look for Kelly (and others) to be available at the deadline. In addition to the veteran hurler, starter Zac Gallen, third baseman Eugenio Suárez, and first baseman Josh Naylor could all be moved at this year's trade deadline.

If the D-backs suddenly become contenders, the Astros cannot afford to just sit on their hands at the deadline. There are plenty of other starters who could be available later this month, and Houston needs to emerge with at least one of them.

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