It has been a quiet offseason so far for the Houston Astros and general manager Dana Brown. There are multiple needs the Astros have going into 2026, and maybe the biggest is replacing the potential loss of left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez in free agency.
Replacing him near the top of the rotation will not be easy, and the options are expected to dwindle in the coming days and weeks unless Dana Brown signs a notable arm behind Hunter Brown at the top of the rotation.
Dylan Cease is off the table after he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Michael King is rumored to be down to three American League East teams: the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox.
Here are three free-agent starting pitching options for Houston after Cease signed in Toronto.
Chris Bassitt
With Cease on board with the Blue Jays, there will have to be some subtractions for Toronto, and one candidate to find a new home in 2026 is right-hander Chris Bassitt. He started 32 games last season for manager John Schneider, going 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA. He worked 107.1 innings with 166 strikeouts and 2.1 WAR.
Bassitt spent the last three years with the Blue Jays and was a workhorse, making at least 30 starts in all three seasons. That’s the type of pitcher Dana Brown needs to have following Hunter Brown in the rotation. The 36-year-old Bassitt is certainly a low-risk, high-reward type of player the Astros should covet this winter.
Ranger Suarez
This one might be out of the price range that Dana Brown wants to go, but replacing Valdez with another elite left-handed pitcher would be a dream for the Astros. Ranger Suarez had a big 2025 season for the Philadelphia Phillies, and he was a big part of them winning the National League East.
He went 12-8 for a second straight season with a 3.20 ERA, his lowest since 2021 when he finished with a 1.36 ERA. He pitched 157.1 innings with 151 strikeouts and just 38 walks. He had a 4.7 WAR. The 30-year-old is in line for a big payday this winter, and signing him long-term would lock him in to what Houston believes is still a championship window.
Lucas Giolito
Boston Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito wouldn’t move the needle like Suarez, but the Astros could do a lot worse for someone who had a big-time bounce-back season for the Red Sox in 2025. After missing all of 2024 with an injury, Giolito was one of Alex Cora’s most consistent starters who led them back to the playoffs in October.
Giolito went 10-4 in 26 starts for the Red Sox with a 3.41 ERA. He worked 145 innings and struck out 121, and had a 2.1 WAR. If there was one drawback for the 31-year-old, it’s that he allowed 17 home runs, a number he would need to cut down moving forward. He likely is looking at a two-year contract if teams have concerns over his injury history, but when healthy, he’s a very solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.
More Astros On SI
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Three Potential Astros Starting Pitching Targets After Dylan Cease Signing.
