The Houston Astros are making a move to shore up a thin rotation, acquiring right-hander Mike Burrows from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal that also includes the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s a transaction that reflects both Houston’s urgent need for reliable arms and their long-term planning, as Burrows brings not just upside, but years of club control.
Here’s how the deal breaks down: the Astros send two of their top prospects - outfielder Jacob Melton and right-hander Anderson Brito - to Tampa Bay. The Rays, in turn, ship infielder Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum, and left-hander Mason Montgomery to Pittsburgh. The Pirates, by dealing Burrows, add a veteran bat in Lowe and continue to leverage their pitching depth to bolster the offense.
Let’s start with Houston. This is a team staring at a rotation in flux.
With Framber Valdez likely exiting via free agency and only Hunter Brown returning among starters who logged 100+ innings last season, the Astros were staring down a serious innings gap. Enter Burrows - 26 years old, with a full season of big-league experience under his belt and under team control through 2031.
That’s the kind of profile Houston has been targeting all winter: affordable, controllable, and with the potential to grow into a bigger role.
Burrows isn’t just a stopgap. He’s a potential pillar.
He posted a 3.94 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 96 innings last season, showing flashes of the promise that once had him ranked as the Pirates’ No. 7 prospect. Astros fans might remember his early-season outing against them - 5 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
That kind of performance clearly left an impression.
From a roster-building standpoint, this trade fits the Astros' recent pattern. They’ve been trimming payroll - moving Mauricio Dubón to Atlanta and parting ways with Chas McCormick, Ramón Urías, and Luis Garcia - saving close to $16 million in the process.
That financial flexibility is key, especially for a team that’s been inching closer to the luxury tax threshold. Re-signing Valdez or chasing a high-priced free agent starter was never likely.
Instead, Houston has focused on low-cost, high-upside arms like Nate Pearson and Ryan Weiss. Burrows is a more proven version of that same idea - a controllable starter with room to grow.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay continues to do what Tampa Bay does: target high-upside prospects and flip talent at the right time. The Rays have long been intrigued by Melton’s combination of speed and power, and Brito’s live arm made him a popular name in trade talks at the Winter Meetings. Tampa adds two pieces that fit their mold - athletic, controllable, and with the potential to contribute sooner rather than later.
As for Pittsburgh, this is a classic “push the chips in” move for a team trying to climb out of a rebuild. Lowe is a former All-Star with pop from the left side, and while he’s a free agent next winter, he gives the Pirates a much-needed middle-of-the-order bat.
With a surplus of pitching - and after already dealing for outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia - Pittsburgh is clearly trying to balance out the roster. Mangum and Montgomery add further depth, with Montgomery offering some intrigue from the left side.
The Astros may not be done, but this move signals a clear direction. They’re threading the needle between remaining competitive now and building the next core. Burrows doesn’t have to be an ace - not yet - but in a rotation that’s light on experience and heavy on question marks, he could become one of the most important arms in Houston’s 2025 season and beyond.