Astros Announce Major Pitching Prospect Trade With Rays

Astros Announce Major Pitching Prospect Trade With Rays originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The gritty Houston Astros have once again found themselves in playoff contention in 2025 despite a crippling wave of injuries to key players like Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti, Hayden Wesneski, Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia.

Due to their beleaguered rotation, Houston has a problem. Their lineup hasn’t been spared either, as slugger Yordan Alvarez has been out since May 5 with a right hand fracture, though general manager Dana Brown announced it was “80 percent healed” on Wednesday.

Amid a rapidly growing injured list, the Astros announced a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that prompted mixed reactions.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez at Daikin Park.Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Astros traded former top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley to the Rays on Friday in exchange for cash considerations, per Chandler Rome of the Athletic.

Whitley entered the 2022 season as the Astros’ No. 5 prospect, but never quite found his footing in the big leagues. He owns a career 17-20 record with a 4.75 ERA in the minor leagues, but his 2024 minor league ERA of 2.12 in 33 games out of the bullpen suggested high potential.

According to his prospect profile, Whitley never had strong command because he constantly tweaked his delivery and never kept it the same.

“He still flashes the potential for five different plus pitches and created some optimism by throwing well during the offseason, but he has gone from possible No. 1 starter to a total wild card,” his profile reads.

“{The Rays are} one of the smartest organizations in baseball, and they felt the need to trade (something) to acquire him because they knew their waiver claim wouldn’t be good enough,” wrote Jeremy Branham, radio voice for the University of Houston, on X (formerly Twitter).

This year with the Astros, Whitley has posted a 12.27 ERA in 7 innings, and the Rays, with their endless supply of pitcher magic, are taking a chance on him.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.

Astros Announce Major Pitching Prospect Trade With Rays

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