Houston Astros
The Astros are definitely another one of those “that’s not really fair” teams that could potentially land Stroman. The following tweet is old, but it shows just how dominant Houston has been during its recent stretch of competitiveness:
From @EliasSports:
Houston at the All-Star break
2017 60–29 (.674) 16.5 lead
2018 64–35 (.646) 5.0 lead
2019 57–33 (.633) 7.5 lead
HOU is the first team since ATL in the 1990s (1996–1999) to have a first-place lead of at least five games at the break three straight years.— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 11, 2019
The Oakland Athletics are gaining on them in the American League West, though, which could give the club a sense of urgency to keep their foot on the proverbial gas pedal. Houston does have one of the league’s better rotations when looking at cumulative fWAR, but it’s been rather top heavy thanks to Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.
Like some other teams on this list, Houston has struggled with finding a consistent fifth starter, a hole that was made with Lance McCullers Jr. rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and Charlie Morton heading to Tampa Bay last winter. Wade Miley and Brad Peacock have been assets to the rotation, but one can imagine Stroman would slot right into the third spot of any potential postseason rotation.
It’s also worth noting he’d help next year’s rotation. Cole is set to be a free agent at season’s end, and as a Scott Boras client, only the Baseball Gods know where he’ll end up this winter.
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