Astros' trade interest in this Pirates starter feels rather underwhelming

Houston Astros fans understood that the team was not likely to strike any blockbuster deals this offseason. Barring a very unlikely trade to rid themselves of payroll, the Astros' financial constraints were always going to limit what they could and could not do. However, Astros fans also expect the team to be competitive in 2026 and for the front office to be creative in bolstering the roster.

If the rumors are true, those fans may want to brace for disappointment. This is not the only player the Astros could acquire, but that Houston has been connected to a Mike Burrows trade by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal should stand as a warning that this could be an even quieter offseason from the Astros than everyone thought.

Astros Rumors: Houston interested in what would be a rather disappointing trade for Pirates' Mike Burrows

Look, Burrows as a depth addition would be "fine" for the Astros. After all, Houston does still have Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier around, and while the departure of Framber Valdez hurts, the team isn't going to implode if they don't acquire an ace somehow this offseason.

The issue is that there is very little upside with Burrows at all. He does throw strikes and his changeup grades out extremely well, but his other offerings do not, and Burrows has issues with finding too many barrels combined with middling batting metrics against him. In short, he is a guy who will "probably" give Houston a 4.50ish ERA and cover some innings, although exactly how many innings he can cover is a fair question given that his 96 innings last season were a professional high for him.

If Pittsburgh wants to give Burrows away, sure. He is making pennies as a pre-arbitration player. However, Burrows' stuff is not all that great, and if the Pirates want to value all of his team control highly, Houston would absolutely be best served by steering clear of the 26-year-old righty and exploring other options.