Trade rumors are swirling in the air with the first two months of the 2025 season already in the history books. Teams may choose to wait until the deadline to fix a hole in the lineup, but the situation becomes an emergency if there is a dearth of starting pitchers.
That is precisely the scenario facing the Houston Astros at the moment. And it may well end up jeopardizing their chances of getting to the postseason unless the issue is addressed within a week or two.
Astros May Look to Cardinals’ Veteran for Starting Rotation Reinforcement
The top end of the Astros’ starting rotation is still firing hot, with Hunter Brown emerging as an early contender for the American League Cy Young. At the same time, Framber Valdez has been efficient as ever in his final season before reaching free agency.
However, they began running short on numbers ever since Spencer Arrighetti landed on the IL with a broken right thumb in April. He suffered the blow during a batting practice session in Seattle and is not expected to return until July at the earliest.
A month later, Hayden Wesneski was placed on the 60-day IL with a torn UCL in his right elbow. The 27-year-old was traded from the Cubs this offseason in the Kyle Tucker deal. He has since undergone Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the season.
Less than two weeks later, Ronel Blanco also landed on the IL with the exact same issue. Blanco had a breakthrough season with the Astros last year. He will also be unavailable for the remainder of the campaign after opting for Tommy John surgery two days ago.
Meanwhile, Lance McCullers Jr. is going through a difficult spell after coming back from over two years on the sidelines. On the other hand, Cristian Javier is still recovering from his Tommy John surgery last year.
Sonny Gray faces swirling trade rumors as St. Louis Cardinals battle for NL Central supremacy https://t.co/DcyofqceUE
— M Sports (@MSports_all) May 30, 2025
With their urgent need for starting pitching, the St. Louis Cardinals’ right-hander, Sonny Gray, could be a possible candidate for a trade move. The 35-year-old has enough experience to make a healthy impact on their pitching staff, being a figure of reliability on the mound over his 13-year MLB career and posting over 165 innings in each of the previous two campaigns. Therefore, the seasoned veteran would provide depth as well as stability to the starting rotation.
So far, Gray has pitched 62.0 innings in his 11 starts this season, holding a 4.06 ERA with a 1.161 WHIP. The Cardinals pitcher has another year left on his deal, which may suit the Astros, with Valdez possibly leaving the team at the end of 2025.
However, Gray has a $25 million salary for this season, but it will jump up to $35 million in the final year of his contract. Therefore, the Astros will probably want the Cardinals to pay a sizeable chunk of that money, which they may be unwilling to do.
Moreover, Gray has a no-trade clause on his contract, so he will have the decisive say in case any offer comes through. His Cardinals teammate, Nolan Arenado, had blocked a trade move to the Astros during the offseason.