After sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week, the Houston Astros have moved into a tie for the best record in the American League.
At 60-42, they lead the Seattle Mariners in the AL West by six games. The trade deadline is now a week away, and we will soon start to see some movement.
For Houston, a starting pitcher is needed. Their rotation has been hit hard by injuries this season, and another arm to give them innings would be most beneficial.
Patrick Mooney and Will Sammon of The Athletic noted that Houston could be a fit for former All-Star Zac Gallen. The right-hander could be traded with Arizona likely to sell.
"The Padres, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays are among the clubs that could play in this part of the pitching market. Gallen can become a free agent after this season, making him a rental player, but the Diamondbacks aren’t looking for faraway prospects to sell a long-term rebuild."
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Gallen is on an expiring contract. That would normally mean that he would come at a high price.
However, his struggles this year have likely hurt his value. He is 7-11 with a 5.58 ERA in 21 starts. The 29-year-old has also recorded 116 strikeouts in 121 innings of work.
Gallen played a key role in getting Arizona to the World Series in 2023, but hasn't quite been the same pitcher since. But the Astros likely won't have to pay a high price.
That might work in Houston's favor, as they don't have a ton of top prospects in their system and likely can't afford to lose any of them after trading three top prospects last summer for Yusei Kikuchi.
It will be interesting to see what Houston decides to do.
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