The Boston Red Sox have got all the headlines in terms of quickly turning things around in 2026. They went 21-4 in July and have taken two of the first three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Southern California this weekend. They are now on the heels of the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees in the American League East Division race.
Flying under the radar in the AL is the Houston Astros. Like Boston, they were buried in the standings after a tough start to the 2026 season. However, they have turned things around and gone from potential sellers to buyers at Monday’s trade deadline.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Houston entered the Tarik Skubal trade chatter but fell short. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was traded to the Dodgers late on Saturday night. Nightengale also reported that the Astros could quickly pivot to another Cy Young Award winner.
Houston Astros Linked To Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants
After winning two out of the first three against the Texas Rangers at home this weekend, Houston now has a 1.5 game lead over their in-state rivals. The Astros turnaround has been just as impressive as the Red Sox.
Injuries piled up in the first month of the season, especially with the pitching staff, and it appeared they missed left-hander Framber Valdez. He signed late in free agency with the Tigers before spring training. However, since they have gotten healthy on the mound, they are quickly moving up the AL West standings. According to Nightengale, after losing out on Skubal, they could be turning their attention to Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants.
“The Houston Astros jumped into the sweepstakes for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, but realistically, would be quite pleased to acquire Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants,” wrote Nightengale.
Acquiring Ray would be a sneaky good move for Houston GM Dana Brown. In 22 games for the Giants this season, the 2021 AL Cy Young winner with the Toronto Blue Jays is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA and a 2.0 WAR. Ray has worked 122.2 innings and has 107 strikeouts to 57 walks. In three seasons with San Francisco, he’s 24-16 with a 3.54 ERA. He is a free agent at the end of the season.
Robbie Ray Would Be a Solid Pitching Upgrade for the Houston Astros
The Astros have two paths to the playoffs: winning the division or the wild card. The easiest path is winning the division. That would ensure a wild card series at home in October. Who thought that would be possible not too long ago?
However, Houston has turned things around and is forcing the hand of Brown to buy at the deadline. To be fair, if the Astros add an arm like Ray’s to the starting rotation, they could be a serious player in a wide-open American League Playoff. It feels like each team would have a chance to get to the World Series.
Now that Skubal has been traded, expect more dominoes to fall quickly. Several teams are looking for starting pitching. The question for Brown is just how much is he willing to pay? San Francisco is looking to move several contracts, and it might not take much to get a deal done.
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