The Houston Astros have been one of the best teams in Major League Baseball so far this season. At 56-41, holding a four-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the American League West, the Astros may need to get aggressive at the trade deadline.
The Astros have dealt with numerous injuries to their pitching staff. Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco are recovering from Tommy John, as is Cristain Javier. Luis Garcia and and J.P. France are also still recovering from long-term injuries.
As such, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter has tagged Miami Marlins prodigy Edward Cabrera as a potential target for the Astros at the trade deadline.
“The Astros could use a quality No. 3 starter to slot behind Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez in the rotation,” Reuter wrote. “With one of the thinner farm systems in baseball, a high-reward target like Cabrera could be at the top of their wish list.”
Cabrera is in the midst of arguably his strongest season in the Majors to date, pitching to a 3.61 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 82.1 innings. He has also had the makings of an ace pitcher, but has struggled mightily with command issues in the past. This season however, Cabrera currently boasts a career-low 3.3 BB/9, far below his career average of 4.7. Compare that with his 9.4 K/9 this season, and you have yourself a very strong pitcher with elite stuff.
The 27-year-old has looked closer to the version of himself that he was in 2022 when he pitched to a 3.01 ERA in 14 starts. Now healthy and more polished as a pitcher, now may be a good time for the Astros to pounce on the opportunity.
Brown and Valdez have held down the fort for the Astros so far this season, as both have pitched like potential AL Cy Young Award candidates. However, bringing in someone of Cabrera’s stature to fill out the rotation could be enough to put the Astros over the top in the American League.
