The Houston Astros could make the biggest news on Monday. The trade deadline has arrived once 4:00 p.m. hits, but the big names on the market have not moved. Yu Darvish, Sonny Gray, and Ervin Santana are still on their teams, but according to David Schoenfield of ESPN, the Astros are in desperate need of a starter and could pull the plug on one of their top prospects.
Gray is the top choice for Houston
Gray has been linked to Houston for quite some time, but the Oakland Athletics want top prospect Kyle Tucker in return. The A's have said that they want top prospects as they are on course to move into their new ballpark.
Tucker is the No. 10 ranked prospect according to MLB.com. Gray is going to require a package that features a prospect like Tucker. He is not set to be a free agent until 2019, and has six quality starts in high last eight games.
However, if Gray is not set to go to Houston, the team could seek a rental like Yu Darvish or Lance Lynn. The Rangers have reached out to teams that Darvish is on the trade block, but they will only trade him for the right package. Lynn would be more affordable. Houston has three prospects in the top-50, so it all depends if the team wants to go all in for this season.
Lance McCullers Jr.'s downslide impacts situation
McCullers Jr. had yet another bad outing, which causes concern for the Astros.
Dallas Keuchel has been on the disabled list. McCullers Jr. has a 9.64 earned run average in July after throwing a poor start in his fourth straight game. He has given up 32 hits in 18 1/3 innings this month.
With McCullers Jr. having a constant downslide, and the unknown of Keuchel's production when he returns, the Astros need a starting pitcher to help get the team back on track.
The team is 68-36 on the season and has a 16 game lead over the Seattle Mariners, but a World Series title is on their eyesight. The Astros need a starter, so we'll see what happens on Monday.
Final decision: Gray or no deal
The team has been linked to Darvish and Lynn, but not enough has surfaced to believe that the Astros will make a serious run at either on Monday.
The dots connect to the Astros either acquiring Gray or not making a move at all. The Rangers feel confident that they can re-sign Darvish at the end of the season. The Cardinals have not completely declared they are selling. July 31st has had crazier deals in the past, so the Astros could surprise the baseball world by making a deal for either one. It would be a huge surprise as the New York Yankees have made a huge push to acquire Gray.
