Proposed Houston Astros Trade Lands Flame-Throwing Ace

Now that the Houston Astros perfect trade target looks to be fully on the market, it's time to consider what it would take to land him.

The Chicago White Sox look ready to move on from Garrett Crochet, their best young pitcher, after failing to reach a contract extension deal with him.

Zach Pressnell from FanSided put together a trade package that could be enough to acquire him, despite Houston not having the deepest farm system.

The trade would see the Astros send a haul of prospects including outfielder Luis Baez, shortstop Brice Matthews, right-handed pitcher Jose Fleury and infielder Chase Jaworsky.

Baez is the No. 2 prospect in the Houston farm and would be an ideal central target for a rebuilding squad like Chicago.

The 20-year-old is slashing .294, .329 and 504 in High-A this season and continues to get better at the plate. He's hit 13 homeruns, which is already a career-high in the minors. If his bat continues to progress, teams will be lining up to take him off of the Astros' hands.

Matthews is right behind Baez at No. 3 and is also a developing bat that is expected to have a lot of suitors. He dominated college ball and hasn't skipped a beat since being drafted.

He has 20-20 potential, which is what he reached in his last Nebraska year. So far in 2024, he's slashing .305/.414/. 519 with seven home runs and 16 stolen bases.

Fleury is the second-highest ranked pitcher in the minor leagues for Houston. At 22, he's a few years away, which would line up well for the White Sox.

He's more of a movement than a speed guy with his arm, but does project to be someone that strikes batters out at a high rate.

Jaworsky is kind of thrown in at the end of this deal. He's the No. 29 overall player in their farm, but is young enough for a team to hope that he solidifies. He's stolen 23 bases so far this season.

This is the perfect group of high-potential players for a team that has no hopes of contending any time soon.

For the Astros, you'd definitely take the chance on a player of Crochet's caliber given the current state of their pitching staff.

The southpaw ace switched to a full-time start this past offseason and it has worked out well. In 101.1 innings he has a 3.02 ERA and leads all MLB pitchers with 141 strikeouts.

He's under team control through the 2026 season which makes him a cheap option for a franchise that has a lot of money tied up in pitchers that have had issues staying healthy.