As we close in on the August 3rd 5pm CT MLB trade deadline, this will be the place for trade news and rumor updates. It will be updated as more news and info comes out.

Could the Astros be interested in a reunion with George Springer? Springer had only played 7 innings of OF before today. Springer has been hitting well since returning from IL on July 8, hitting .290 with a .362 OBP and .878 OPS in July. He hit 4 HR and drove in 13 for the month. If the Astros were to acquire him, he would need to be able to at least play LF.

Astros don’t want to deal from MLB roster:

Could an Astros sweep of the Rangers cause Texas to raise the white flag?

Latest Astros rumors from Bob Nightengale:

In this piece from Bob Nightengale, here is what he reports as it relates to the Astros:

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. They were on the verge of a deal with the Minnesota Twins for left-handed hitting outfielder Trevor Larnach in exchange for reliever Bryan Abreu this past week, but it was nixed by the Astros at the last minute.

Astros third baseman Carlos Correa is trying to make a miracle comeback this season, just like the team. Correa was expected to be out for the season when he underwent surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left ankle in May, but his recovery is much quicker than expected. He has already begun baseball activities.

Meanwhile, the Astros, who were 20-31 on May 20 with wild speculation they would start dumping players, stayed the course and opened Saturday sitting in first place in the AL West.

Now, I am including this rumor not because I trust the person making the report (the person reporting it has dubious credentials to say the least) but because of this report from Ken Rosenthal (who has impeccable credentials) which lends credence to the original post:

It was further confirmed by Bob Nightengale in his Sunday notebook for 8/2:

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. They were on the verge of a deal with the Minnesota Twins for left-handed hitting outfielder Trevor Larnach in exchange for reliever Bryan Abreu this past week, but it was nixed by the Astros at the last minute.

It should also be noted that since May 1, Abreu has a 2-1 record, a 2.20 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts over 28.2 innings pitched. He also seemingly has regained his role as primary setup man.

In this piece by Nighetngale, here is what he mentioned regarding the Astros:

The Boston Red Sox are giving up on the idea that Trevor Story will help them when he returns from the IL and are aggressively trying to acquire a shortstop. They are asking about everyone from Zach Neto of the Angels to C.J. Abrams of the Washington Nationals to Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins to Jeremy Pena of the Houston Astros.

The Houston Astros and other teams keep asking about San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb. And they keep being told he’s not going anywhere. The Giants plan to keep outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and trade Heliot Ramos. They also are telling teams they are willing to eat part of starter Robbie Ray’s $25 million contract in a trade.

The Arizona Diamondbacks would love to find a first baseman, but have let teams know their biggest priority is relief pitching after removing Paul Sewald from the closer’s role this week. (this relates to speculation the Astros could trade/need to trade Christian Walker to free up money for other deals – PC)

The Blue Jays are willing to trade George Springer, who’s in the final year of his contract, but there’s limited demand for right-handed hitting DHs. (relates to Astros desperate need for OF help & affinity for former players. Springer has played only 7 innings of OF this season. Despite overall poor numbers this season, since returning from the IL July 8, Springer hit .290 for the month of July with 4 HR, 13 RBI, a .362 OBP and .878 OPS. Those are numbers the Astros lineup could certainly use – PC)