Houston Astros Linked to All-Star Pitcher at Trade Deadline

The Houston Astros will be active at the MLB trade deadline this season. General manager Dana Brown said as much when he laid out his plans to the media for how the Astros plan on approaching the trade market.

Brown said he would keep options open when it came to adding pitching or a bat, nothing is ruled out.

According to a new MLB.com column, one name who Houston should be interested in is Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito.

Giolito was an MLB All-Star in 2019 and is currently on a team that has little hope of making the postseason. He will prove to be a valuable trade chip for the White Sox come the deadline.

As for Houston, while they currently boast the league's best rotational ERA, they are without Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. for the rest of the season. Jose Urquidy should be returning but there is no guarantee that more injuries will occur to the rotation.

Giolito has been very effective since the beginning of May and even more so in the month of June. Additionally, Giolito's contract is up after this season making him a free agent.

He is exactly the type of player Chicago will undoubtedly move.

His price tag will be steep but not as steep as another starter who has an additional year of control.

If the Astros intend on competing down the stretch and deep into the postseason, adding a veteran arm like Giolito only increases their odds of success.

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