It took just one move for the Houston Astros to become World Series favorites once again. Astros owned the MLB trade deadline on Wednesday, making a blockbuster trade with Arizona Diamondbacks which landed them All-Star pitcher Zack Greinke.
The deal came together in the last minutes of the deadline, similarly to the trade that landed Astros Justin Verlander two years ago. Verlander went on to help Houston win the World Series title in the same year, something the organization hopes will happen with Greinke as well.
In order to acquire Greinke, Astros sent a package consisting of pitcher Corbin Martin and three prospects – right-hander J.B. Bukauskas, first baseman Seth Beer and infielder Josh Rojas – to Diamondbacks.
“Zack Greinke’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. We had him high on our list,” – said Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow in a statement. “We didn’t know if this was even remotely possible, and it really wasn’t until the last 48 hours, really the last 24 hours that we started to get traction on something. [Astros owner Jim Crane] supported us and agreed that we could make the appropriate investment dollar-wise, and it became a matter of finding the right prospects, the right mix of players, to go back.”
Greinke is currently in the middle of his third consecutive All-Star season in which he played 23 games. So far in the year, the 35-year-old right-hander has a 10-4 record with 2.90 ERA and 135 strikeouts.
With Zack Greinke joining Verlander and Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros now boost arguably the best pitching rotation in baseball. Greinke’s addition might also prove useful in the long term, as he can provide Astros with insurance in case Cole decides to walk away in free agency.
