The Houston Astros came into the offseason with a clear need to address the starting rotation. While they lost Framber Valdez, the replacement options weren't atop the market for Houston.
Dana Brown and the Astros were seeking long-term options, and they found one in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the Tampa Bay Rays were also involved in a wild three-team deal.
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle handed out grades for each team in this trade. While the Pirates got an "A-" and the Rays got a "B+," the Astros, getting Mike Burrows for Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito, received the worst grade of the bunch, all the way down at a "D+."
Astros receive the worst grade from ESPN in Pirates, Rays 3-team deal
"Astros grade: D+," Doolittle writes. "While the system as a whole isn't a strong one, that's still an awful lot of future value to give up for Burrows, who profiles as a back-of-the-rotation type."
Adding Burrows to the rotation isn't a bad move in itself, but the cost of Melton and Brito was far too rich for Doolittle. While Burrows is a decent pitcher who can develop into a solid starter, the cost wasn't worth it.
"He has a lot of controllable seasons left on his service time clock, and even if he's a league-average starter during that span, he'll carry considerable value." Doolittle writes. "Just not enough to justify two prospects of Melton and Brito's combined quality."
More: Astros predicted to buy low on $13.5 million All-Star, Cy Young candidate to replace Framber Valdez
The Astros spent a lot of assets on Burrows this offseason. Melton was a promising young outfielder, while Brito was a pitching prospect who was ranked inside the top-three prospects in the Astros' farm system.
Burrows had a 3.94 ERA in 2025 for the Pirates, and while he's under club control through the 2031 season, he likely isn't going to be worth the cost of Melton and Brito in Doolittle's opinion.
Brown and the Astros spent big on Burrows, and while he'll be a mainstay of the rotation for years to come with lengthy club control, it's a big risk to move on from two of the team's best young players.
More Astros News:
- Kyle Tucker predicted to break baseball, sign with Dodgers to chase World Series ring
- Astros' Jake Meyers receives trade rumor update from MLB insiders
- Astros sign 2.87 ERA KBO starter to bolster injured rotation
- Astros linked to Phillies fan-favorite ace as Framber Valdez replacement
- Astros could fix defensive issues with trade of struggling 20-homer catcher