The Houston Astros are one of the many teams searching for additions to their starting rotation during the Major League Baseball offseason.
Right-hander Hunter Brown capped off a tremendous 2025 season by earning a third-place finish in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
With MLB's winter meetings approaching, ESPN's Jeff Passan thinks the Astros may target 30-year-old left-hander Ranger Suarez, who just completed his eighth season with the Philadelphia Phillies.
"Teams in the mix for Suarez believe he's the next big-time starter off the board," Passan wrote Friday. "Though the 30-year-old won't fetch a Dylan Cease-level deal, he long has been a target for Houston, which balks at deals beyond six years, and Baltimore, which is seeking a top-end rotation piece."
Suarez may seek a contract longer than six years, which could complicate things for the Astros, who don't seem to be a long-term fit for Framber Valdez.
Suarez is dependable when healthy
Suarez should have many potential suitors in free agency after finishing three of the last four years with a 3.65 ERA or lower.
He limits hard contact and is a slightly above-average pitcher when it comes to striking hitters out. In 2025, he enjoyed the best season of his career since transitioning to a full-time starter in 2022 with the Phillies, posting a 137 ERA+ while giving up fewer than nine hits per nine innings.
If Valdez signs elsewhere, Suarez would slot in as the Astros' No. 2 starter behind Brown, giving them a solid 1-2 punch in the postseason.
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