The Houston Astros are one of the most surprising teams in Major League Baseball this season. After trading away Kyle Tucker and losing Alex Bregman to free agency, many believed the Astros would have a down season, but they have done the opposite. With the likes of Jose Altuve, Jeremy Peña, and two strong frontline starters, Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, the Astros have a six-game lead in the American League West.
However, like all contenders, they could look to make some moves at the July 31st MLB trade deadline to bolster their pitching staff.
According to a new report, the Tampa Bay Rays are taking calls on starter Taj Bradley.
 Trade Idea Sends Bradley to Houston
With the Rays reportedly taking calls on starter Taj Bradley, the Houston Astros are a good fit as a team looking for more depth starting pitching. Although Bradley has a 4.60 ERA this season in 103 innings, this deal is a good opportunity for the young starter to learn from a veteran like Valdez, who can help Bradley redefine his pitching arsenal.
Nick Deeds of MLBTradeRumors.com gave some insight into who could be in on Bradley, and Houston is named one of the prospective teams:
“If the Rays were to shop Bradley, there would surely be plenty of interest. The Padres and Astros stand out as surefire contenders who need starting pitching help this summer but may not have the budget to stomach the salary of a veteran player. Bradley could also be of interest to some clubs looking to sell.”
Tampa Bay are a creative team, and since things haven’t worked out with Bradley as they’d hoped, this is a good opportunity to bring a new arm in to help craft another depth starter in his place.
“The Rays donât exactly have a surplus of rotation depth, with no surefire starters waiting in the wings at Triple-A in the event of an injury or trade. With that being said, however, Tampa does have  Shane McClanahan on a rehab assignment with an eye towards returning at some point in the second half. Theyâd be down an arm in the meantime if they dealt Bradley, but the club has been very comfortable with getting creative to piece together innings with multi-inning relievers and swing men in the past,” wrote Deeds.
Houston Looking Like an AL Contender Again
As mentioned, the Houston Astros are having a stellar season and showing once again that they are the class of the American League. Hunter Brown leads the AL in ERA, and after a down 2024 season for Valdez, he appears to be back as well. Led by veterans Altuve and first baseman Christian Walker, Houston is poised to make another deep postseason run in a relatively weak AL.
Bradley, once a top prospect, holds a career 4.70 ERA in 346.1 innings. He showed promise last season with 154 strikeouts in 138 innings, but those numbers are down this season. However, he can take the ball every fifth day, and maybe the Astros can find something in him that Tampa Bay couldn’t.
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