The Houston Astros pulled off a blockbuster trade on Friday that sent superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Windy City in exchange for three players from the Chicago Cubs.
In the deal, the Astros landed a big-league infielder and a big-league starting pitcher as well as a top infield prospect.
In light of this deal, FanSided’s Zachary Rotman believes the Astros will continue with the roster shakeup. Rotman recently predicted the Astros wouldn’t bring future Hall of Famer, Justin Verlander, back in free agency. Verlander just finished a contract that paid him over $40 million a year, but his next deal is likely to be close to the league minimum.
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“The team could elect to bring him back. Depth is always super important, particularly when it comes to starting pitching,” Rotman wrote. “However, Verlander showed that he cannot be trusted to pitch every fifth day this past season. He’s now 41 years old. He’ll be 42 years old by Opening Day. It feels more likely that Verlander will retire than it is that the Astros will bring him back.”
This decision likely has less to do with the trade and more to do with the Astros’ ideal path forward.
In the trade, Houston acquired Hayden Wesneski, who’s made spot starts during his tenure with the Cubs. Wesneski isn’t a long-term solution in any team’s starting rotation.
In all likelihood, Verlander’s time with the Astros was done, regardless of whether Houston traded Tucker or not.
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