Colorado Rockies: With trade rumors, is Jon Gray a fit for Houston Astros?

It has been rumored that the Houston Astros are looking for starting pitching ahead of Major League Baseball’s July 30 trade deadline. Could they look to the Colorado Rockies for help in that department?

According to a tweet from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Astros are one of seven contending teams that are “active” in the market for starting pitching. Three of the others mentioned by Morosi are Colorado’s NL West rivals (San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres) while the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees join the Astros as teams outside the division who are reportedly looking to add to their rotation.

Could the Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros make a trade deadline deal involving Jon Gray?

Houston GM James Click has been quoted as saying he’s “on the phone with 29 other teams” trying to do what he can to put the Astros in a position to win the World Series. Heading into Tuesday’s action, the Astros lead the American League West by five games over Oakland and, with a 61-40 record, are just one game behind the Red Sox for the best record in the American League.

More from Colorado Rockies Rumors

• Colorado Rockies: Could recent injuries change their offseason philosophy?
• 3 free agents the Colorado Rockies should already be targeting
• The Colorado Rockies should take a flier on outfielder Franmil Reyes
• MLB trade rumors: Rockies could deal Chad Kuhl, Carlos Estévez on Trade Deadline Day
• 7 trade destinations for Colorado Rockies closer Daniel Bard

Gray, meanwhile, has put together a solid season for the Rockies, going 6-6 with a 3.67 ERA while opponents are hitting just .220 against him. While he has told us he would like to stay with the Rockies, there has been no update on any news that would keep Gray in Denver longer than past the end of this season when his contract expires.

But do the Astros actually need starting pitching? Morosi indicates that sources say so, but Houston’s rotation has actually been solid this season (although some advanced metrics say Houston’s starting pitching has been walking a thin line between success and a lack thereof this season).

Gray, by the way, has been very good in his career against American League teams. In 16 interleague starts, the former third overall pick has held opponents to a .193 batting average and given up just 67 hits in 96.1 innings of work. He has also logged a 1.028 WHIP against AL teams.

Many rumors have the Astros looking for relief help, which is also where the Rockies could come into play with Mychal Givens and Daniel Bard as potential trade pieces. After a Monday night collapse against Seattle and manager Dusty Baker’s comments afterwards, it certainly seems that the bullpen will be a big focus for Houston this week.