The Houston Astros offseason checklist had at the very top: Starting Pitcher, Lefthanded OF Power Bat, Righty Leverage Reliever.
As we approach the trade deadline, those have not changed.
Further adding to this, in his latest Sunday Notebook, longtime MLB reporter and insider Bob Nightengale mentioned the following about the Astros:
The Houston Astros, badly needing an outfielder, are showing strong interest in Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy of the Colorado Rockies. They also plan to be in the Tarik Skubal and Sonny Gray sweepstakes.
Nightengale has proven to be very clued in on the Astros throughout their Golden Age, so his reporting on them should be considered very in tune with the club’s thinking and processes.
Moniak, 28, is a former 1st round pick in 2016 drafted out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was brought up at age 22 the first time, and again at age 23 for a brief time as well, and struggled badly. He was traded to the Los Angeles Angels at the deadline in 2022 for Noah Syndergaard.
2023 finally led to a breakthrough season for Moniak, who hit .280 with 14 HR and 45 RBI after being called up May 12. He posted an .802 OPS, but only a .307 OBP because he walked just 9 times in 323 PA.
In 2024 he would regress, batting just .214 with a .266 OBP and .686 OPS. The Angels released him March 25, 2025.
The next day, he signed a 1 year, $1.25M deal with the Colorado Rockies. His first year in Denver, Moniak hit .270 with a career-best 24 HR and 68 RBI. He again posted a strong OPS (.824) despite a weak OBP (.306).
So far this season, Moniak is batting .282 with a .333 OBP and .945 OPS with 15 HR and 37 RBI in 55 games.
Moniak is not known as a strong defender, with limited range and a weaker arm. He would likely be a left fielder on the Astros.
Moniak is signed to a 1 year, $4M contract and still has one more season of arbitration eligibility.
McCarthy, 28, is another former 1st round pick, chosen 39th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018 out of University of Virginia. McCarthy is a name that has previously been connected with the Astros, a lefthanded hitter with terrific speed.
McCarthy is in his first season in Colorado, having been acquired from the DBacks in trade on January 10 this year. He’s responded with arguably his best season, batting .307 with a .344 OBP and .862 OPS with 9 HR and 47 RBI. He also has 16 doubles, 5 triples, and 14 stolen bases.
McCarthy first broke through in 2022 in Arizona when he finished 4th in NL ROY voting after batting .283 with a .342 OBP and .769 OPS. In 99 games (354 PA), McCarthy finished with 8 HR, 43 RBI, and 23 SB. His 30.1 ft/sec sprint speed was clocked as the fastest in the majors among right fielders for that season.
His career has been up and down, as the following year his batting regressed to .243 AVG, .318 OBP, .644 OPS, but then he rebounded in 2024 to .285 AVG, .349 OBP, .749 OPS.
He began 2025 in a terrible slump, starting 3×41 before being optioned to Triple-A Reno on April 19. He hit .314 in 49 games for Reno, and was recalled by the big league team again on June 24. He would appear in just 67 games last season, hitting a career-worst .204, leading to his offseason trade to the Rockies.
McCarthy is signed to a 1 year, $1.525M contract, and has 2 more years of arbitration eligibility.
Most Astros fans probably believe that Tarik Skubal will be out of the Astros price range, and that may be true, but the team is still keeping tabs on him. It should be noted that once upon a time, Justin Verlander was considered to be out of the Astros price range, but team owner Jim Crane led the charge for the deal (in fact, he’s led the charge for a Verlander trade twice). So while it would seem unlikely, it shouldn’t be considered impossible.
Skubal, 29, is the 2x reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. He has led the AL in WAR (among pitchers), ERA, ERA+ and FIP each of the past 2 years. He was a Triple Crown winner in 2024.
Skubal underwent surgery May 4 to remove loose bodies from his elbow with a new procedure called the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0. Whereas the nromal return to play time for arthroscopic surgery is 2-3 months, Skubal was able to return in under 6 weeks. He made his final start before surgery on April 29, and returned to the rotation on June 13. In his most recent start against the New York Yankees, he went 6 innings, allowing only 1 ER on 1 hit, struck out 9 and did not walk a batter.
For the season, Skubal is 4-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. He has maintained his usual elite command, with a 75/8 K/BB ratio in 65.2 IP.
Skubal is signed to a 1 year, $32M contract, and is a free agent at the end of the season.
Gray, 36, was an offseason target of the Astros that they were unable to acquire when the Boston Red Sox offered top starting pitching prospects Richard Fitts and Brandon Clarke to secure the deal from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Gray is having a tremendous season for the underachieving Red Sox, leading the AL with 10 wins against only 1 loss. His .909 win percentage is also tops in the AL. Sporting a 2.61 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 89.2 IP, Gray’s command continues to be excellent with an 82/23 K/BB rate.
Gray’s contract situation is a little more complicated than the others, but not necessarily in a bad way. As part of the trade to Boston, the Cardinals agreed to pick up $20M of the $31M Gray was owed for this season, making Gray’s effective cost for this season only $11M. He also has a mutual option for next season for $30M. As part of that mutual option, the team can opt out with a $10M buyout. If the player opts out, he gets no buyout.
