Having made no secret about their need for starting pitching depth this offseason, the Astros continued addressing that void on Friday. They netted right-hander Mike Burrows from the Pirates in a three-team blockbuster trade.
Houston parted with two of its top prospects in the MLB Pipeline rankings.
TRADE DETAILS
Pirates receive: 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum, LHP Mason Montgomery
Astros receive: RHP Mike Burrows
Rays receive: OF Jacob Melton (now the Rays' No. 4 prospect), RHP Anderson Brito (Rays' No. 6 prospect)
The Astros were also pursuing Rays starter Shane Baz -- who was also traded on Friday, to the Orioles -- but ultimately did not reach the price point that Tampa Bay netted from Baltimore. The O’s dealt four of their Top 30 prospects and a 2026 Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick.
“We will definitely pursue more pitching,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said. “And so it's all about pitching, pitching, pitching. So we're locked in. We don't feel like we're done for this offseason.”
Although not among the highest flamethrowers in the pure velocity sense (95.5 mph average), he has four distinct weapons that play well in sequence -- four-seamer, changeup, slider and curveball. That’s a key factor for the Astros, who value pitchers that can both spin and keep runners off base. The Astros are hopeful they can unlock more with his sinking two-seamer, which he threw just 5.6% of the time last season.
Moreover, Burrows possesses precisely the type of profile -- affordable and contractually controllable -- that Brown has hinted at what the club is seeking this winter. With free-agent arms moving off the board and payroll constraints limiting blockbusters, the trade market increasingly has become Houston’s best lever to improve the rotation. Burrows won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2031 season.
Drafted in the 11th round in 2018, Burrows’ ascent to the Majors was delayed by Tommy John surgery in 2023. Brown suggested a loose target of 160 innings for 2026.
“We'll certainly protect him, because he's going to be part of our future, and we'll build him up the right way,” Brown said.
Parting ways with Melton and Brito could sting for Astros fans -- particularly Melton, one of Houston’s most exciting young defenders in center field. Brito, meanwhile, is a high-ceiling righty who has consistently punched well above his age level in the lower Minors and has generated buzz among scouts for his combination of fastball life and strike-throwing feel.
From a roster construction standpoint, this is Houston’s version of “buying pitching” without surrendering Major League impact now. Melton and Brito have promising futures, but the calculus was clear: The team needed an MLB-ready starter more than it needed additional outfield or pitching depth in the pipeline.
“Make no mistake, it's not easy to part ways with successful pieces that you have that are high-end prospects,” Brown said. “But when there are a lot of teams that need starters, that's where the market is. A lot of teams need starters, and so you don't want to lose out. So you have to get creative and pull from your depth and maybe fill that spot.”
A reunion with two-time All-Star Framber Valdez -- or any top-of-the-market arm -- has long seemed out of the cards, given the dollar cost of premier starting pitching in free agency.
“I've been going back and forth with Framber and his agent, and so that's going to have to play out -- and not in public,” Brown said. “But at the end of the day, we've had some back and forth.”
The trade for Burrows underscores the club’s strategy to remain committed to contending, even under the competitive balance tax. Rather than tread water or chase the splashiest free agents, Houston turned internal assets into targeted help where it matters most -- starting pitching.
Signing free-agent Ryan Weiss to a one-year deal after he pitched in KBO falls into this bucket, as well as adding right-hander Nate Pearson, a former first-round pick with the Blue Jays who never quite found his footing in Toronto but still has upside.
The Astros now turn their attention to further roster refinement, whether it’s bullpen depth or lineup flexibility. Houston’s blueprint remains consistent -- build strength through tactical trades or lower-cost expenditures via free agency.