Astros’ trade for Mike Burrows may have also cleared the way for this pitching prospect

The Mike Burrows trade was meant to strengthen the Houston Astros starting rotation by bringing in a cost-controlled young arm with upside. In the process, it thinned out the already depleted Astros' farm.

Going out in the deal were top prospects Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito, with the latter in the conversation of the best arm in Houston's system, thanks to a strong showing in 2025. Now with him out of the picture, that honor falls clearly on 23-year-old Miguel Ullola's shoulders.

Burrows might not be the high-profile co-ace fans would have wanted next to Hunter Brown, but at the very least, he figures to be a reliable innings eater with the potential for more. With that said, the back-end of Houston's rotation is still full of question marks.

The Mike Burrows trade paves the way for Miguel Ullola to make an impact with the Astros following Anderson Brito's departure

After Hunter Brown, you can point to Cristian Javier and Burrows as guys who, barring injury, will be fixtures in the 2026 rotation. Beyond that, you truly can't pencil anyone in.

It appears that Lance McCullers Jr. and KBO import Ryan Weiss will get the first shots to hold down rotation spots, but in the case of the former, you can almost guarantee that won't end well, and the latter has much to prove in what amounts to his long-awaited big league debut.

The backup options are, unsurprisingly, equally underwhelming, with Nate Pearson and Jason Alexander leading the way.

There's a very strong likelihood that the Astros will then have to turn to their prospects to find innings, and Miguel Ullola is now poised to lead the way. Alongside AJ Blubaugh, who was primarily used in relief in his sparse big league action, Ullola will be the first to get the call.

Ullola brings with him a big fastball that can touch the upper 90s with great rise, and a slider that can be devastating. His other two offerings, a curveball and a change-up, are more fringy.

The electric fastball-slider combination has led Ullola to look downright unhittable at times, posting a 31.1% strikeout rate between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land in 2024, while also surrendering just a .161 batting average against. The strikeouts dropped off a bit in 2025, but were still above-average at 26.6% at Sugar Land with a .183 batting average against.

Ullola's lone bugaboo is his command, and the walks are a problem. Last season, he posted a 6.18 BB/9, which is wholly unacceptable even with his ability to get strikeouts and generate soft contact. That likely means he won't be a true option early in the season, but if he can get the walks under control during the first half of 2026, he could be a factor down the stretch for Houston.