Astros know where to start in trade talks

OAKLAND -- After weathering injury after injury to their starting rotation, the Astros have beaten the odds to rise from the ashes of a slow start to the campaign and ascend the AL West standings, where they now sit in a virtual tie with the Mariners for the top spot.

Houston has made the best of a challenging situation thus far, but its 8-2 loss to Oakland on Tuesday night at the Coliseum made it clear that acquiring rotation help should be the club's top priority at the July 30 Trade Deadline.

General manager Dana Brown said as much in an MLB Network Radio appearance on Sunday, indicating that the team could make a win-now move.

"We try to go big and see if there is a deal that makes sense for the organization,” Brown said. “And if that doesn't work, we'll go down to mid level and, hopefully, we can land something there. It doesn't hurt to ask. When you go through this, you've got to ask and thou shall receive, sometimes.

"We want to try to go big, and if we can't get the big thing done, we'll try to go mid level so we can get through this. But if we can get a mid-level guy, and we get [Luis] Garcia and [Justin] Verlander back, that would be massive to this club."

One week out from the Deadline, the Astros' most glaring need was apparent as rookie right-hander Jake Bloss was ambushed for five runs on four homers across four innings in his third big league start.

Bloss, MLB Pipeline's No. 9 Astros prospect who was selected in the third round of the 2023 Draft, skipped Triple-A on the fast track to the Majors -- a move that was largely made out of necessity. (He later made one rehab appearance at the Triple-A level.)

As it stands, Houston essentially has an entire rotation on the injured list: Verlander (neck stiffness), Garcia (Tommy John surgery in May 2023), Lance McCullers Jr. (right forearm surgery in June ’23), Cristian Javier (Tommy John surgery in June) and José Urquidy (Tommy John surgery in June).

Of that group, Verlander and Garcia are the closest to a return. Both are throwing off the mound, with Verlander further along in his progression. He could be activated by the end of July, whereas Garcia appears more on track for an August return.

McCullers, who has not appeared in an MLB game since 2022, remains no-throw after being shut down in late June. Javier and Urquidy are both out for the season.

Houston's rotation has been solid given those key absences, with veteran Framber Valdez anchoring the group and Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco stepping up considerably. But in an ideal world, the team would have arms more experienced than Bloss and fellow rookie Spencer Arrighetti taking the ball every fifth game down the stretch.

Arrighetti also had a relatively quick ascent through the Minors after being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 Draft. After allowing four runs across six innings and taking the loss on Monday in the series opener, he spoke about how one of the biggest adjustments he's had to make since arriving in the Majors has been how he views his performance.

"Since being called up, it's definitely a much different approach to me getting better," Arrighetti said. "It's not for me, it's not for my development. It's for the sake of the team winning baseball games."

An important lesson for a rookie to learn, but not one that should have to take place at this point in the season for a contending team.

Bloss, who began 2024 with High-A Asheville, has similarly had limited experience adjusting to facing professional hitters, let alone big leaguers.

"Big takeaway, I mean, if you are executing your stuff, you'll be completely fine," Bloss said. "But obviously if you're leaving stuff up, like I was today, and missing a few spots, they're going to punish it. I think they're a little better at punishing mistakes."

Without another arm in the equation, the Astros don't really have more viable options to fill out their rotation.

"That's where we're at right now as a team," manager Joe Espada said. "We all felt like he was ready to pitch at the Major League level, and he has shown signs that he could pitch at the Major League level. There's ups and downs. You see it with veteran pitchers; you see it with young pitchers. We're here to help them out through those up-and-down moments at the Major League level."