Could Astros Pursue Former All-Star Starting Pitcher via Trade?

The Houston Astros are in desperate need of starting pitching, and a former Rookie of the Year runner up is available.

Aug 20, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) prepares to throw a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros have a lot of work to do this offseason. After missing the playoffs in 2025, their roster looks more bare than it has in years, despite having stars like Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña and Hunter Brown. It's not a bad roster, but it lacks the depth.

That's particularly the case for their rotation. Pitching had been a strong suit for their World Series teams, but the depth has all but dissapeared over the last year. Framber Valdez is likely leaving via free agency, Luis Garcia is hurt again, Cristian Javier had Tommy John and Lance McCullers Jr. has struggled.

While they signed Ryan Weiss, Houston still needs another arm behind ace Hunter Brown. One such pitcher is on the market, in New York Mets starter Kodai Senga. In a recent story, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller predicted that Senga would be traded at the Winter Meetings, connecting him to the AL West. The Astros make a whole lot of sense for the right-hander.

Senga Needs Bounce Back, but Has Proven It at the Major League Level

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Mets won the bidding war for Senga when he was coming from Japan before the 2023 season and he made an instant impact. In 166.1 innings, the right-hander struck out 202 batters and posted a 2.98 ERA and 4.5 bWAR.

He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, seventh in Cy Young voting and made an All-Star team. Using his devastating "ghost fork" forkball, Senga dominant hitters to the tune of a 10.9 K/9 in his first season in MLB.

Although he struggled with his command a little, walking over four batters per nine, his stuff clearly played up to the MLB standard. He looked like the perfect number two or three pitcher in a rotation, depending on how many innings he could throw.

That sort of pitcher would be the perfect fit for Houston, but it would come at a huge price. Since his rookie season, Senga has struggled with injury and inconsistency, lowering his value on the trade market quite a bit, which is in Houston's favor.

Senga only made one start in 2024 due to a shoulder and calf injury, returning for an up-and-down 2025 season.

Through his first 13 starts, the right-hander threw 73.2 innings, struck out 70 batters and had posted a 1.47 ERA, despite a 3.24 FIP. Senga then dealt with a hamstring injury in June that kept him out until July 11. In his final nine starts after injury, he posted a 5.90 ERA and struck out 39 in 39.2 innings.

Senga was optioned on September 5 and didin't pitch the rest of the year. That might be a scary thought for the Astros, but the bones are still there. His offspeed run value, according to Baseball Savant, was in the 95th percentile. His chase rate (28.5 percent) and whiff rate (27.4. percent) were nearly identical to Hunter Brown's mark from his breakout season.

The circumstances of his season weren't pretty, but Senga did finish with a 3.02 ERA and 2.1 bWAR. His stuff still plays, with one of the best pitches in baseball that got a 41.8 percent whiff rate last season.

A trade for Senga will likely be cheaper as well. With his value at it's lowest point, Houston won't have to give up one of its top end prospects.

It would be a dart throw given how his season ended, but Senga has done it before and the Astros need a pitcher who's had major league success behind Brown.