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Pittsburgh Pirates: Teams That Could Be Interested In Steven Brault

By Noah Wright

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 30: Steven Brault #42 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 30, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, which was postponed April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 30: Steven Brault #42 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 30, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, which was postponed April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Oct 17, 2020; San Diego, California, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Blake Taylor (62) is relieved against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in game seven of the 2020 ALCS at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2020; San Diego, California, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Blake Taylor (62) is relieved against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning in game seven of the 2020 ALCS at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

Houston Astros

Last offseason, the Astros lost Gerrit Cole, who finished 2nd in Cy Young voting, to the New York Yankees in free agency. A lot of other things happened that offseason to the Astros as well, but that’s besides the point.

That left a very good 1-2 at the top of the ‘Stros rotation of Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke. However, Verlander had to undergo Tommy John surgery after just one start. Greinke had a solid season, but not to Greinke expectations.

Verlander should return sometime in 2021, leaving Greinke to take the role of ace. Behind him, Framber Valdez had a very strong 2020 season where he pitched 70.2 innings and put up a 3.57 ERA and 2.85 FIP. Lance McCullers, who came back from Tommy John surgery himself, had a solid return campaign with a 3.93 ERA and 3.70 FIP. The last two spots could really be anyone’s game.

Cristian Javier, who finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting, seems to have been penciled into one of the two spots, but his 4.94 FIP and other ERA estimators leave much to be desired.

Jose Uquidy had a solid ERA as well, but like with Valdez, struggled in terms of his ERA estimators. Brandon Bielak and Josh James struggled entirely throughout 2020. Young arms like Luis Garcia and Forrest Whitley could use a little more seasoning in the minors. Plus, with a handful of their key players reaching free agency, they might want to keep some payroll space open. Brault would give the Astros a solid backend option while keeping their payroll to a reasonable level. It would not be a surprise to see them give the Pittsburgh Pirates a call about Brault.

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