Houston Astros: Five reasons Lance Lynn works as a trade option

Come trade deadline time he will be available

Of course I can’t say this as a certainty. But here are the facts that lead me to believe the Cardinals will be sellers in the near future.

1. They’re playing under .500 at the halfway point of the season
2. They’re 5.5 games out of the division race and 7.5 games out of the wild card race as the time of this writing.
3. Their arch nemesis who they are tied in second place with in the National League Central just made a move for a very talented starting pitcher to boost their rotation while the Cardinals have not made a move yet.
4. Even if the Cardinals make a move and make the playoffs, the Los Angeles Dodgers are a far superior team than them in a head to head matchup, so is it even worth trading for another bat to most likely lose in the playoffs should you make it?
5. Their farm system is ranked 12th by Baseball America. Is it really wise to weaken that farm system for an outside shot at a playoff berth that has even less chance of resulting in a World Series championship?
6. The franchise is not in desperate need of titles as they are second in all of baseball in terms of total championships with 11. Why risk damaging your farm system for this year, when you can start building that sustainability back up that your fans are oh so used to.

More from House of Houston

• Are you the 2021 FanSided Sports Fan of the Year?
• Houston Texans: 4 reasons Romeo Crennel is right coach right now
• Astros-Twins Wild Card Series: 5 things to know as MLB postseason begins
• Houston Texans: The Most Underrated Sports Drought Ever
• Houston Texans: J.J. Watt’s early case for NFL Hall of Fame

While our two front offices don’t like each other for reasons that involve…y’know corporate espionage, that doesn’t mean a deal can’t be made. While the conversation may be awkward, the call should at least be made to check in on Lynn.

He’s talented, he’s healthy, he has a track record in both the regular season and post season, and since he’d only be for a half a year he wouldn’t cost nearly as much in prospects nor would we be limited by him financially next year.  Nor does he cost the Astros much of anything this year as he would be owed roughly half of his $7.5 million dollar salary.

Next: Move to American League a good decision

Lance Lynn is not the Astros first option for sure. But he is a great insurance plan should the asking price for these other cost controlled pitchers for multiple years be to high and result in us gutting our farm system. The Astros are in win-now mode while trying to maintain a crop full of potential future all-stars. Lance Lynn may be the best compromise between both those goals.