Houston Astros: Three strategies to fill the 500 inning void in the rotation

A combination, potentially of all three

As you can see, the Houston Astros have a ton of options to fill this 500 inning void. Jeff Luhnow and company definitely have their work cut out for them in order to find guys that can keep this pitching staff at an elite level in 2019.

In all likelihood, the Astros won’t lean just on one of the three strategies we’ve just explored. It will probably either be a combination of two or three of them. The team could also look to bring back either Keuchel or Morton, perhaps even both of them.

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If the team did that, it would go a long way to fill the void as they obviously contributed at a high-level last year and could do it again next year. But, neither is a guarantee to return and both of them returning is even less of a possibility.

However, I figure it to be a virtual lock for one of the rotation spots to be filled internally, likely by McHugh. The team could also go with another guy already on the team to fill another spot in the rotation, though, all three being filled internally is unlikely.

Pursuing a trade is probably the least likely option as the team highly values their prospects and there isn’t a lock available for the Astros to target. Free agency options are a good possibility to help fill the 500 inning void.

Regardless of how it happens. it’ll be very interesting to see how the Houston Astros choose to fill the 500 inning void that Keuchel, Morton, and McCullers are leaving in the starting rotation. Filling out the rotation will be key to the Astros remaining tops in the league.