Bleacher Report says Astros should give this future Hall of Famer a sendoff

The Houston Astros took their first major step toward replacing Framber Valdez last weekend when they traded for starting pitcher Mike Burrows as part of a three-team trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays. Burrows' arrival, on paper, sets the Astros' starting rotation ahead of Opening Day next season.

Burrows, joined by fellow new arrival Ryan Weiss, will likely join a rotation that already includes Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Lance McCullers Jr. Nate Pearson signed with the Astros this offseason with the expectation of being stretched out as a starting pitcher, and given their intentions at the deadline, Houston seems to still have belief in 25-year-old Spencer Arrighetti.

As the Astros found out last season, they can never have enough pitching depth. Houston has several pitchers who will miss most of next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and options like Weiss, Peason, and, to some extent, Arrighetti remain question marks.

With Houston also stressing that they will look to contend for a playoff spot in 2026, it wouldn't be out of the question that they look for another established arm to join the rotation. That established arm could be a familiar face.

If the Astros are still looking for rotation upgrades, a reunion with Justin Verlander remains possible.

Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer looks over several buy-low free agents who could help teams next season, and 42-year-old Justin Verlander was among the players mentioned. No surprise, but the three best fits he has for Verlander are all teams he has already pitched for--Astros, Detroit Tigers, and San Francisco Giants.

There wasn't a scenario where the Astros should have turned to Verlander to be the primary replacement for Valdez. At this stage of his career, the hope for Verlander is that he can take the mound every five days and get a team through the first five innings of a game.

To his credit, he wasn't bad with the Giants. The Future Hall of Famer's ERA of 3.85 was identical to his FIP, and he struck out 20% of the hitters he faced in 152 innings pitched. As an option to round out the Astros' rotation, Verlander isn't the worst of ideas. Not to mention, given where Houston's payroll situation is, he can easily fit into their budget.