Astros to fill hole in rotation with Mike Burrows via three-team trade: Sources

The Astros found some help for the rotation via a three-team trade that brings them Mike Burrows. Matt Freed / Associated Press

To supplement their depth-starved starting rotation, the Houston Astros are acquiring right-hander Mike Burrows from the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, multiple league sources told The Athletic on Friday.

Infielder Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-hander Mason Montgomery will head from Tampa to Pittsburgh if physicals are passed and the deal is completed. The Astros will send two of their most touted prospects -- outfielder Jacob Melton and right-hander Anderson Brito -- to Tampa Bay in the trade.

Lowe, an All-Star and free agent next winter, could boost the offensively-challenged Pirates, who already used their surplus of starting pitching to acquire outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia from the Boston Red Sox.

For Houston, acquiring Burrows provides some short-term stability in an unsettled rotation and a potential foundational piece for future clubs. Burrows, 26, just finished his first season with significant major-league experience and will not reach free agency until after 2031 -- the exact type of cost and club-controlled starter Houston has sought in its many trade discussions this winter.

Burrows appeared in the MLB Futures Game in 2022 and, before last season, ranked as the Pirates' No. 7 prospect according to The Athletic's Keith Law.

Burrows finished last season with a 3.94 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 96 innings. The Astros saw him in his third start of the year, when he struck out six batters across 5 1/3 scoreless frames.

The Rays have long coveted Melton and expressed interest in Brito during conversations with the Astros at the Winter Meetings. The Astros had interest in Tampa starter and Houston native Shane Baz, among many other starters.

Burrows should slot behind Cy Young Award finalist Hunter Brown in a new-look Houston rotation bracing for the loss of Framber Valdez in free agency. With Valdez's expected departure, Brown will be the only returning pitcher on Houston's staff who threw at least 100 major-league innings last season, accentuating the Astros' need for rotation help.

A reunion with Valdez, or any other free-agent starting pitcher of his ilk, never seemed feasible for a franchise monitoring its proximity to paying a luxury tax for its roster. Houston already saved an estimated $15.8 million by trading utilityman Mauricio Dubón to the Atlanta Braves and cutting ties with outfielder Chas McCormick, infielder Ramón Urías and injured pitcher Luis Garcia.

Low-cost, high-ceiling additions of Nate Pearson and Ryan Weiss -- both of whom will compete for spots in Houston's rotation -- served to reinforce the team's financial inflexibility. Friday reiterated it.