The Houston Astros made a huge trade deadline deal to acquire their former ace, Justin Verlander. What will their rotation look like down the stretch?
Pre-trade deadline Astros pitching rotation
Framber Valdez, Christian Javier, Hunter Brown, Brandon Bielak, J.P France
Before the trade deadline, the Astros held a pretty respectable starting rotation. They have multiple guys in it that have postseason experience, all of which have been rather good this year. But the rotation had taken a step back during the month of July. According to Codify Baseball, the Astros had a 4.65 ERA for the month of July.
Hunter Brown held nearly a 6 ERA for the month, allowing 16 runs in 24.1 innings. Cristian Javier struggled more than anybody else though, but he appeared to have figured it out as the month went on. On July 3rd, he allowed 8 earned runs to the rival Texas Rangers, but he allowed just 8 earned runs across his next three starts to finish the month.
The upgrade to the rotation was obvious to make, as their rotation has been good, but not sustainable. They're already down three starters from the beginning of the year (Lance McCullers, Jose Garcia, Jose Urquidy) which leaves three of their starters taking on roles much bigger than they expected. Urquidy is the only one of these three that could return this year, which would leave the Astros with a rotation that produces but isn't completely tested yet. Houston added Justin Verlander to fix this very problem.
Projecting the Astros pitching rotation after the trade deadline
Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Christian Javier, Hunter Brown, J.P France
The Astros finally got their guy at the deadline. Again. Justin Verlander is once again a Houston Astro and judging by the trade package they sent to New York, they valued him tremendously. Houston parted ways with Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford in order to add him to their rotation and this upgrade changes things completely for Dusty Baker's team down the stretch.
Verlander gives them a true battle tested ace to stick at the front of their rotation against pitchers like Gerrit Cole, Clayton Kershaw, Spencer Strider and Max Scherzer when the postseason rolls around. Having the flexibility to move Framber Valdez to their number 2 starter is huge for the Astros, as he has ace potential, but will thrive in any situation against other teams second best pitcher. Houston could truly have the best 1-2 punch heading down the stretch.
Jose Urquidy is likely to return at some point this year, where he'll slot into the back half of the rotation. As of now, it's likely the Astros go with Christian Javier, Hunter Brown and J.P France as to round out their rotation until Urquidy returns. Brandon Bielak had a good July, but he'll likely bounce between Triple-A and MLB, potentially making spot starts or being used out of the bullpen down the stretch.
