Astros Add Zack Greinke to Pitching Rotation at Trade Deadline

The Houston Astros entered August with an eight game lead over the Oakland Athletics in the American League West, but were not content to stand pat. So they made some deals as the clock wound down to the July 31st trade deadline, culminating with the acquisition of starting pitcher Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for four minor league prospects.

Grienke is 10-4 with a 2.90 ERA in 23 starts. He joins Justin Verlander, (14-4, 2.73, 196 strikeouts), Gerrit Cole (12-5, 2.94, 212) and Wade Miley (9-4, 3.06) in the Astros’ starting rotation. Verlander leads the A.L in both wins and ERA, while Cole leads in strikeouts. It’s kind of a grab bag as to who starter number five is, but with a solid bullpen and an excellent offense, the Astros can afford to plug different players in there. They’ll really only need three starters when they get to the playoffs.

Here’s an analysis of the trade from the MLB network: