💥 BREAKING NEWS: New mock trade shakes up the offseason as the Astros land crucial rotation depth in a bold three-team blockbuster ⚡.DD
Could the Astros land a veteran right-hander for depth behind Hunter Brown?
The Houston Astros are going to need some arms for their starting rotation, with Framber Valdez likely leaving in free agency. They are going to need to fill out their rotation behind Hunter Brown, who is coming off a big 2025 season for the Astros.
Just how Houston will go about filling out the rotation remains to be seen. They have a couple of options with Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera of the Miami Marlins, but they also had Dylan Cease as a free agent option. He is going to the Toronto Blue Jays, who are loading up for another postseason run.
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com proposed seven ridiculous trades that he’d like to see, and he had one where the Astros would acquire a veteran arm for the middle of their rotation.
Brady Singer to the Houston Astros For Rotation Depth?
Castrovince proposed a three-team trade between the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and Astros. Going to Houston is right-handed pitcher Brady Singer. At the same time, the Reds would get Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, and Minnesota would get two Cincinnati prospects and two Houston prospects, catcher Walker Janek and right-hander Cole Hertzler.
“Singer, who is entering his final year of arbitration, does not fit a Twins team in transition but does fit an Astros team that needs an affordable mid-rotation arm,” wrote Castrovince.
This would actually be a trade that would help out the Astros’ rotation behind Brown. Singer spent his first five seasons with the Kansas City Royals before he was traded to the Reds last offseason. In his first season in Cincinnati, he went 14-12 with a 4.03 ERA in 169.2 innings with 163 strikeouts. He had a 3.1 WAR as the Reds claimed the final National League Wild Card spot before bowing out to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Singer had a good career at the University of Florida and came in eighth in Rookie of the Year voting in the American League in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. At 29 years old, Singer is in a contract year and proved last season that he’s capable of pitching on a contender. He would be a perfect fit in the middle of Joe Espada’s rotation.
If Valdez is gone, that is a huge loss, and piecing the rest of the rotation together is not going to be easy to fill, but Houston could do a lot worse than Singer. With the free agent options shrinking, they just might have to do it through a trade.
