Houston Astros Rumors: My take on all of the pitchers the team is targeting

With the Houston Astros coming in hot and fresh out of a World Series victory, the team is already looking to beef up the starting rotation hoping to be the first team since the Yankees dynasty to win back to back championships. Who are they eying?

About a little more than a month ago, the Houston Astros won the World Series. Since then, other AL teams including our division rivals added some hot names.

In the AL West, the Seattle Mariners added former Miami Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon and the Los Angeles Angels won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes. Of course, the biggest move of the off season so far is the New York Yankees trading for the 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton.

Dallas Keuchel signed with Scott Boras, who is one of the best agents in the business & known to get his clients paid very nicely. Keuchel might not be with the Houston Astros in 2019 but Luhnow is already eyeing three of the top starters on the market just in case Keuchel does leave town.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Houston Astros are in the running for Yu Darvish, Jake Arrieta and also looking to trade for Chris Archer. Those three guys are some of the best starters this game has to offer.

Darvish was who many wanted the Houston Astros to trade for at the deadline in July. Instead, he ended up going west and joining the Los Angeles Dodgers who ended up losing to our Astros in the World Series thanks to his horrible starts. Outside of the World Series, he had a pretty good regular season.

In 2017, he pitched 186.2 innings and went 10-12 on the year with 58 BB’s, 209 K’s and finished with a ERA of 3.86.

Obviously he is a familiar face here in the AL West from his time of being a member of the Arlington Rangers. Yeah, I said it.

Jake Arietta is the “sexy” name out of the three. He hasn’t been as dominant as year’s past but a great pitcher like him will bounce back. He is no stranger to Texas as he played his college ball at TCU.

He pitched 163 innings and went 14-10 on the year with 55 BB’s, 163 K’s and finished with a ERA of 3.53.

To many of the baseball talking heads say he is the best starter on the market and if the Astros reel him in, the rotation looks like they can shut down a lineup like the Yankees.

More from House of Houston

Last but not least, not a guy who isn’t a free agent but who many feel the Tampa Bay Rays will trade at this Winter is Chris Archer.

The great thing about Archer is that he is only 29-years-old and is the youngest of the aforementioned. Since he is in South Florida, he doesn’t get the attention that many of the big-market pitchers get.

Last season he had an ERA of 4.07 which is something that needs and can be improved. Other than that he really is a solid option. Archer had the same record as Yu Darvish in the regular season going 10-12 but had far more punch-outs than the other two as he had 249 punch-outs.

Earlier today, Brian McTaggart tweeted something very interesting…

Jeff Luhnow says, "there’s one thing we’re working on that we think might get to an agreement later tonight."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 12, 2017

And then later on quoted his own tweet and said this….

Luhnow did say the club has made "multiple offers" on pitchers. https://t.co/wZTUuBmVXD
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 12, 2017

At this time, we don’t have any idea who they made offers too. But you know Luhnow will do anything and everything to get this team right back in the World Series in 2018.

Next: Rumors: Why the Astros should be targeting Chris Archer

The time is now, will Luhnow and Co. leave Orlando where the winter meetings are being held with a bang?

GO ASTROS!

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