Marcus Stroman Needs to be a Houston Astros Trade Target

The Houston Astros pitching rotation is an issue and it’s a pretty simple problem to understand.  Ask yourself two questions, can you name the three starters in a best of five series?  Can you name the four starters in a best of seven series?  If you answered quickly, maybe you’re right, but after Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier, it gets shaky.

The rotation isn’t shaky necessarily when you look at it from a Bird's Eye view, but the tougher questions can’t be seen from afar--namely can you trust either Brown, Bielak, or France in the playoffs?  No one really knows, but if the Astros want to extend their championship window, it shouldn’t be a question.  This is why the Astros need to go after Marcus Stroman.

It has been reported that the Houston Astros will be targeting top Starting Pitchers this trade deadline.

Marcus Stroman is on the last year of his deal with the Chicago Cubs, barring his exercising of a players option and the Cubs will be shopping him at the deadline.  Stroman has been excellent this year with the Cubs, posting a 2.42 ERA in his ninth season in the MLB along with a league leading 1.039 WHIP.   He has been on fire and both his hits per nine innings and home runs per nine innings have dropped this season.

The 32 year olds’ biggest asset to the Astros would be that veteran presence and playoff experience, both of which the Astros current three through five pitchers lack.  Stroman won’t be cheap but if the Astros want to continue to extend their window, they need to try to get him.  They will have to beat out at least the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, both of whom are expected to compete for Stroman according to two writers from The Athletic, but just imagine this--Framber, Javier, and Stroman are your postseason starters.