The Houston Astros may have run into a wall in their Tarik Skubal chase, but they haven’t stopped shopping for pitching. If anything, they already seem to be shifting their focus to a far more realistic name: Giants left-hander Robbie Ray.
That’s the read from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who reported that Houston was involved in the Skubal bidding, though how deep those talks actually went isn’t clear. Nightengale also noted that the Astros would love to land Ray at the trade deadline, and that’s the name worth watching now.
On paper, Ray makes sense for Houston in a few obvious ways. He’s a lefty, he’s been effective, and he’s got the kind of track record that still carries weight.
Five years ago, he won the Cy Young Award. This season in San Francisco, he has put together a strong line: a 3.08 ERA over 122.2 innings in 22 appearances, with 107 strikeouts.
But there’s a reason he’s available, and it’s not hard to spot. Ray underwent major elbow surgery in 2023, and his stuff has clearly backed up since returning. His 4.36 FIP is a warning sign too, suggesting he may have benefited from some good fortune on balls in play and could be headed for some regression.
The money matters just as much. Ray is in the final year of his deal and is making $25 million this season. With Jim Crane’s stance on the luxury tax, that could make any deal tricky unless San Francisco is willing to absorb a meaningful chunk of the salary.
Still, Nightengale’s note that the Astros would be “quite pleased” to land Ray hints that there may already be a workable structure in place. Houston’s farm system depth is limited, so this is the kind of trade that has to be handled carefully.
If the Astros are moving on from the Skubal dream, Ray looks like a much more attainable fallback. And for a club trying to add pitching without blowing up the future, they could do a lot worse.
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For Houston, the attraction is obvious: Stowers brings versatility and a longer runway than a pure rental, which fits a club trying to balance immediate needs with future planning. The cost, though, is where this starts to get uncomfortable, since discussions could push the Astros into surrendering a premium piece from their farm system, the kind of price that can make even a useful upgrade feel a little less straightforward. [Read more 🡒]
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From Houstons perspective, that makes this one worth watching beyond the standings. Texas has not ruled out anything at the deadline, from standing pat to adding pieces to make a run or pivoting in the opposite direction if the path narrows further, and the next few days could determine just how aggressive or cautious the Rangers choose to be. For the Astros, the game is another chance to influence a division rival at a moment when the ripple effects could stretch well past the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]