The hot stove finally got lit for the Astros as it was widely reported they would acquire right-handed starter Mike Burrows as part of a three-team deal with the Pirates and Rays that also includes moving infielder Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh. The Astros would give up outfielder Jacob Melton (their No. 2 prospect) and minor league right hander Anderson Brito.
Burrows, 26 and under team control until 2031, started 19 games as a rookie in 2025 going 2-4 with a 3.94 ERA, throwing 97 strikeouts in 96 innings of work. He was drafted in 2018 out of high school in Connecticut.
Melton, who many believed would be in the mix for the starting centerfield job this coming spring, had only 70 at bats in 32 games at the major league level in 2025 before getting injured. Brito is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who the Astros signed out of Venezuela in 2023 when he was only 19. He played last year with the Asheville Tourists, the Astros High A affiliate.
Burrows brings some stability to a starting lineup that was decimated by injuries and is expected to lose starter Framber Valdez, who remains one of the biggest pitching names on the free agent market. With Hunter Brown, Cristin Javier and a healthy Spencer Arighetti, Burrows could give the Astros another very good young arm to bolster the pitching rotation.
Trading Melton also leaves the question of whether Jake Meyers will still be dealt this offseason. It has been widely thought that Meyers could net a solid return on the trade market, but Melton and fellow outfielder Zach Cole were the remaining prospects slated in centerfield.
There is still plenty of winter left and the Astros have just begun to make moves, but they did manage to pull off a deal before Christmas, which was starting to look iffy after the Winter Meetings ended last week.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
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