ORLANDO — Perhaps a homecoming could help address the Houston Astros’ top offseason priority.
The Astros have expressed interest in Tampa Bay Rays starter and Houston native Shane Baz, according to multiple league sources. A deal is not believed to be close and some league sources characterized moving Baz as unlikely. Others, however, indicated the two teams have at least discussed the framework of a potential trade.
MLB Trade Rumors estimates Baz will make $3.1 million this winter in his first trip through salary arbitration. The 26-year-old right-hander has three more seasons of club control, profiling perfectly for an Astros team with an offseason goal of acquiring young, controllable starting pitching.
“The priority is starting pitching,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said on Monday from MLB’s winter meetings. “That’s been the main thing the whole offseason, so we’re trying to keep the main thing the main thing. We want to make sure that we beef up the rotation and so we’re fired up about that.”
For weeks, team sources have indicated that Houston is wary of paying exorbitant prices for free-agent starting pitchers and is focused on trades to supplement a rotation bracing to lose Framber Valdez in free agency.
Baz is far from the Astros’ only trade target — one league source indicated they’ve spoken with a wide range of clubs — but their conversations with Tampa do demonstrate the type of deal Houston is seeking.
Multiple team sources have identified center fielder Jake Meyers as the most realistic trade candidate on Houston’s major-league roster, especially with the presence of prospects Jacob Melton and Zach Cole to backfill in Meyers’ absence. Both Melton and Cole are left-handed hitters, too, crucial for a club that has struggled to field a balanced lineup.
Cole, specifically, has drawn heaps of unprompted praise from both Brown and manager Joe Espada this winter following his breakthrough season in 2025.
“He’s one of the exciting ones to watch this spring to see if that month of service time has really prepared him for another year at the big league level,” Brown said. “We’ll definitely have our eyes on him and we’re excited about his future.”
On Monday, Espada acknowledged that Houston’s young players — including Cole — will get “a longer look” in spring training. The third-year manager also reiterated his long-held stance that if Houston does carry some of them on the Opening Day roster, it would come with the expectation of everyday playing time.
“I think they’ve not only shown they can play at this level, but they did it in an environment where we were in the middle of the playoff hunt,” Espada said. Cole, it should be noted, made his major-league debut on Sept. 12 with the Astros fighting for a postseason spot. Cole had an .880 OPS in his first 52 plate appearances.
“They were able to handle that very well. Performance was better than what we all expected. I am really excited about what those players can do and I’m going to give those guys an opportunity to play a lot in spring training and give them an opportunity to make the club.”
Pair that with Espada’s preference to give young players everyday playing time and it only heightens the likelihood of Meyers being included in a deal this winter. On Monday, Brown acknowledged opposing teams are “not really asking much about the young prospects right now.”
“There’s a chance we may have to trade from the major-league roster,” Brown said. “We’re not going to leave any stone unturned. If we don’t have to trade from our major-league roster, we won’t. But we are trying to work through some trades by way of using some of (our) talent.”
Meyers, who is under club control for two more seasons, is projected to make $3.5 million in arbitration this winter after authoring a breakout offensive season in 2025. Rival clubs have also long expressed interest in Melton, one of Houston’s top position player prospects who made his major-league debut last season.
Still, just one of Meyers or Melton is unlikely to consummate a deal for a cost and club controlled player like Baz. At least one prospect would also be included in any potential trade. Pitching prospect Anderson Brito is among the players that have intrigued the Rays, according to league sources.
Selected 12th overall in the 2017 draft, Baz blossomed into one of baseball’s top pitching prospects before debuting in the 2021 season. Baz underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2022.
In 2025, his first full season post-injury, Baz posted a 4.87 ERA across 166 ⅓ innings — volume Houston does not have on its current roster. Only one returning Astros pitcher threw more than 100 major-league innings last season: American League Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown.
Houston’s rotation behind Brown is unsettled, though the team is hopeful for better returns from Cristian Javier in his first full season after Tommy John surgery. The Astros have already added two low-risk, high-reward reclamation projects in Ryan Weiss and Nate Pearson to provide depth, but are still in search of a starter to slot into the middle of their rotation with no reservations.
Baz, or someone of his ilk, would suffice.