5 crazy trade targets for the Astros that would blow our minds

Dylan Cease and Luis Robert Jr.

This is a funny one because it has at least some grounding in reality especially if one believes what Michael Schwab is tweeting when it comes to Astros trade rumors. The Astros could really use both a starting pitcher and a power bat and it is safe to say that Dylan Cease and Luis Robert Jr. would definitely qualify.

Cease is having a bit of a down year by his standards this season with a 4.19 ERA and slightly lower 3.77 FIP. However, the strikeouts have still be there and the guy did just finish second in the AL Cy Young race last year. He also has two more years of team control after this season which falls right into the window of where the Astros are expecting to compete.

Luis Robert Jr. meanwhile has been a top 5 position player of all of baseball this season with 3.9 fWAR and 27 homers through 392 plate appearances this season. Lou Bob is an all-world talent and he is also under contract for the next FOUR seasons after 2023 including a pair of club options for 2026 and 2027 worth $20 million each.

This would be a monster of a trade and while the White Sox are certainly going to be sellers at the trade deadline, it is hard to envision them getting rid of two of their better under-team-control players in one fell swoop. To even get a conversation started with them, a trade package of something like Jeremy Peña, Luis Garcia, Drew Gilbert, Colin Barber, Spencer Arrighetti, and Forrest Whitley would have to be on the table.

It may be unlikely and is one of those moves that would immediately put Dana Brown under a microscope (not to mention cause rioting in Chicago), but the Astros have already expressed an interest in Dylan Cease recently...so why not see if a big deal can get done to take care of both of Houston's deadline needs?