5 starting pitcher trade targets for the Houston Astros

With the Tigers falling off, Houston should consider trading for Eduardo Rodriguez

The Detroit Tigers find themselves within spitting distance of a playoff spot given that the AL Central is a dumpster fire this year. However, they are way below .500 and would need to make some really big changes to actually compete, so we are betting that Eduardo Rodriguez should be available at the trade deadline.

Rodriguez had been one of the better pitchers in the American League before he went down with a finger injury late in the first half. He is back now at least, but keeping an eye on how he looks in July seems to be wise before making a move here. However, given that he, too, has an opt out in his contract means that he could probably be had at a decent price and that makes him a worthy gamble for Houston.

Jordan Montgomery would be a fantastic option at the trade deadline for the Astros

The Cardinals imploding in on themselves is not what anyone expected this year, but that is exactly what happened and now it looks like they are basically locks to be sellers to some degree at the trade deadline. While Jack Flaherty is still the guy that they are the most likely to move, another guy that is an impending free agent that the Astros should target is Jordan Montgomery.

Montgomery is basically the one guy in the St. Louis rotation that has done his job this season. He has posted a 3.23 ERA and 2.3 fWAR this season thanks to a decent strikeout rate and elite walk rate. He doesn't give up much hard contact and while his stuff isn't overpowering, he is just one of those guys that gets things done. This is a name the Astros need to make sure that they check in on before the deadline.

Dylan Cease would be expensive to trade for, but the Astros should check in anyways

There are a number of guys that have some team control that could be interesting at the trade deadline including Shane Bieber and Kyle Freeland, but out of that group we are going with Dylan Cease as a guy the Astros need to at least run a price check on.

Cease has given up more hard contact than you would like, but he can throw hard, misses bats, and is coming off back-to-back 4+ fWAR seasons which is no joke. The trick is going to be getting the White Sox to play ball. They are bad this year, but they also have some very good young players that they would like to compete with soon. The White Sox could decide that they want to keep Cease around for that, but there is also a chance that Chicago does a decent sized teardown. If that happens, the Astros need to be involved.

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