Astros GM Dana Brown Speaks on Team's Inability To Land Starting Pitcher at Deadline

The Houston Astros had two clear-cut goals heading into the MLB trade deadline: acquire a left-handed hitter and a No. 3 starting pitcher who could start postseason games.

Unfortunately, one of those goals went unaccomplished, as the Astros failed to close a deal to acquire any starting pitching help ahead of the deadline expiring.

Alas, it wasn’t from a lack of effort, as general manager Dana Brown spoke about the team’s efforts when it came to addressing their needs on the mound.

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Ultimately, the price was too high and the team was comfortable with the players they knew were on their way back from injury.

"We just felt like the asking prices were too high. We know we have a bunch of starters coming back,” Brown said on Thursday night, via Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X.

Astros GM Dana Brown on his search for pitching: "We just felt like the asking prices were too high. We know we have a bunch of starters coming back."
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 31, 2025

Houston was connected to several starters, with rumors swirling that they were deep into trade talks with the San Diego Padres for Dylan Cease and the Miami Marlins for Sandy Alcantara.

It is fair to assume that talks were had with the Marlins involving Edawrd Cabrera as well, their other controllable arm who generated a ton of trade interest.

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Ultimately, all three of those players remained with their teams through the deadline, which speaks volumes to just how expensive it was shopping on the top tier of the starting pitching market.

Instead of paying a premium price they weren’t comfortable with, the Astros are going to hope that their pitchers returning from injury are able to fill in behind Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown.

Spencer Arrighetti, who last pitched April 5, is nearing a return after suffering a freak accident during batting practice while he was throwing in the outfield.

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Shortly after that, Cristian Javier, who hasn’t taken a Major League mound since May 21, 2024, will reportedly return after completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

Getting those two back would be a major boost for a Houston squad that has been piecing things together all year behind their dynamic duo anchoring the rotation.

In total, 11 players have started at least one game for the Astros thus far in 2025, and eight of them have toed the rubber in the first inning at least six times.

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Both of those numbers could certainly grow down the stretch as the team gets healthier and Joe Espada shakes things up on his pitching staff.

As long as Valdez and Brown are healthy, Houston can compete with anyone. But, it would be ideal for someone else to emerge behind them as a reliable source of production.

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