The White Sox pitcher that the Houston Astros dream of

The Houston Astros (52-42) are in unfamiliar territory, occupying second place in the AL West and if the season ended today, they would have the last wild card spot. One of the reasons that they are in this predicament is the prolonged absence of some of their best pitchers due to various injuries.

Dusty Baker has been without the talents of Lance McCullers Jr., Luis García, and José Urquidy for much of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. With the trade deadline looming ever closer, the Houston Astros are eager to revive their rotation and their prime target seems to be a pitcher from the AL Central.

According to a report by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Astros hope to acquire Dylan Cease, starting pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. The right-handed pitcher will become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.

The White Sox are nowhere near postseason berths and have all the hallmarks of being sellers heading into the deadline. However, Cease has been one of the pillars of the franchise and everything indicates that the White Sox want to hang onto him.

Cease has made 20 starts for the White Sox in 2023 and is 4-3 with a 4.18 ERA in 107.2 innings. The Milton, Georgia native has struck out 129 opposing batters, allowed 50 runs, 12 home runs and walked 45 batters.

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The other pitchers the Astros are looking at

In addition to Cease, Heyman says that the Astros are interested in Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs; Eduardo Rodríguez, of the Detroit Tigers; Jordan Montgomery of the St. Louis Cardinals; and Lucas Giolito, of the White Sox.