Houston Astros Should Land Right-Hander Predicted To Sign for $63 Million

There are a few concerns about the Houston Astros roster entering the season, but one of them is easily fixable. However, the front office clearly doesn’t believe it’s a potential issue, and that could backfire on them if things go south.

That all has to do with the starting rotation. A season ago, the Astros were derailed by injuries more than most teams in Major League Baseball. The pitching staff has a chance to be very good when healthy, but given all of the guys in the rotation who have dealt with injuries throughout much of their careers, it’s tough to say Houston should trust them to remain healthy.

Now, fortunately, that doesn’t mean the Astros need an ace. Adding another mid-tier arm would be an excellent thing to do.

There’s an excellent starter available in Jack Flaherty who could do just that, and he’s now reportedly open to a short-term deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

“At least two — right-hander Jack Flaherty and outfielder Anthony Santander — are open to considering short-term deals with high average annual values, according to league sources briefed on their discussions.”

With Flaherty still available during this stage of the winter, it’s safe to say that his market isn’t what he expected it to be. Whether that’s because teams are worried that he threw better than ever a campaign ago or his reported back injury is worse than it may seem, there has to be something there.

That’s rightfully a concern for Houston, mainly because the front office would be looking for somebody to come in and stay healthy, given that would be the Astros problem.

He shouldn’t be too expensive, either, with Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicting him to land a $63 million deal over three years.

“Rōki Sasaki is the most coveted pitcher left on the board, but because he is beholden to international free agent rules, he’s only going to sign for a fraction of a fraction of what he would get as a traditional, unrestricted free agent. Aside from Sasaki, Jack Flaherty is the biggest name still out there, and by a wide margin.”

One could argue that $63 million could be better spent elsewhere for Houston. That’s a fair suggestion, but pitching wins games at the highest level.

If Flaherty puts up the numbers he did a year ago for the Astros, the rotation would be in a very healthy spot.