Astros enter Meetings looking for a starting pitcher

With addition of Beltran, most of club's heavy lifting is done

December 5th, 2016

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- With the majority of their offseason heavy lifting done, the Astros will hit the Winter Meetings in search of a starting pitcher.
The Astros reached a deal on Saturday with veteran outfielder according to sources, pending a physical, marking the third major addition to their lineup in as many weeks. They traded for veteran catcher on Nov. 17, and signed free-agent outfielder a week later.
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The deal with Beltran, reportedly for one year and $16 million, is expected to be announced on Monday.
Now, the club will turn its attention to landing another starting pitcher, which figures to be much trickier. The free-agent market is thin, and the Astros would probably have to give up one of their young core players to land an ace like or .
That's the challenge for general manager Jeff Luhnow and his contingent during the Winter Meetings, which begin on Monday at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. MLB.com is on site to bring you wall-to-wall coverage of any moves the Astros make over the next few days.
Astros' early moves ease pressure of Meetings
Luhnow will meet with the media each evening, and MLB.com will have updates from those meetings, as well as manager A.J. Hinch's media session at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
Fans can catch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday at 8 a.m. CT.