Houston Astros urged to make blockbuster trade for starting pitcher

Looking ahead to the 2024 MLB trade deadline, the Houston Astros are one of the teams that everyone is waiting to see what will happen.

Will the Astros trade away some of their talent, or will they stick with it and try to add pieces themselves?

No one knows which way Houston will end up heading. If they choose to sell talent, many potential stars could be on the move.

Potential names floated in trade speculation include Justin Verlander, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. All three players are legitimate stars who will have a huge impact on whoever ultimately acquires them.

Verlander seems like the most likely option the Astros would be willing to part with.

Getting rid of his contract would be a wise decision and he is also 41 years old. If Houston doesn’t think they can win now, there’s no point in keeping him.

That being said, the Astros could also opt to buy at the trade deadline if they believe they can get back into contention. If they do, a big need is to find another starting pitcher with all the injury issues they’ve had.

A business idea was floated that would involve acquiring a longtime star.

Zach Pressnell of FanSided suggested a massive trade.

He asks the Astros to acquire Max Scherzer from the Texas Rangers and send away Jose Fleury in return.

“As for the Astros, they can handle the remainder of Scherzer’s contract if it means they can help turn around this nightmare of a season. They are already desperate to pitch following the plethora of injuries to their starters. The Astros will aggressive in the starting pitching market, would it be fun to see them try to acquire Max Scherzer from their division rival?

Making a move for Scherzer would reunite him with Verlander. It would be an old duo, but starry in the rotation.

Certainly, making a trade within a division is never an easy task, however, the Rangers would likely be interested in getting out of Scherzer’s contract, and acquiring Fleury would also give them a key pitcher for the future .

Scherzer has not started a single game this season after undergoing back surgery in the offseason. He was moved to the 60-day injured list on May 15, but began holding bullpen sessions in preparation for an upcoming rehab assignment.

Would the two sides actually come together to reach an agreement?

This is the biggest obstacle because it’s hard to imagine that Texas would have any interest in helping the Astros.

All that being said, if the Rangers choose to sell and are looking to move Scherzer’s contract and get a nice chunk in return, this deal with Houston makes sense.

This is far from the case, but it is a very intriguing idea.