Houston Astros Rumors: Four key storylines to follow in Spring Training
By T.A. Mock
Who will be the fifth starter?
Coming into the offseason, the Houston Astros starting rotation was about to be majorly shaken up. Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton were slated for free agency and it was announced that Lance McCullers would miss all of the 2019 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
So, there were three spots up to grabs in the rotation behind studs Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, who both finished in the top five in Cy Young voting. Collin McHugh was widely expected to step back into the rotation after spending the 2018 season in the bullpen, but after that, it was a mystery.
The Houston Astros answered one of those questions about a week before Spring Training when they inked Wade Miley to a one-year deal worth around $5 million. Miley gives the rotation a lefty arm and a solid pitcher in the style of Keuchel.
Also. Osuna becoming more of a dangerous weapon for the Astros. light
So, heading into Spring Training, the team has one more spot to fill in the starting rotation. Filling this role will be key to the team’s success, especially after seeing how a stacked rotation led the team in 2018.
Josh James and Brad Peacock currently represent the two most likely options to fill that role to start the season. James has tremendous upside and showed out well in some starts at the end of the 2018 season. Peacock has a history of success as a starter as near as 2017. At the end of it, I see James winning that spot for now, but this will definitely be something to watch.