Inside Baseball: Emerging Astros seek star starter; would Hamels OK them?

The Astros are contenders and are looking for a top-of-the-rotation starter. Cole Hamels could be an option, but is he interested in them? That plus more news from around Major League Baseball.

The Houston Astros, surprise early first-place residents in the AL West, could pull a trade surprise, as well. The Astros are targeting a top-of-the-rotation starter, and while Cole Hamels probably remains something of a long shot for them, executives familiar with their thinking suggest Hamels remains on their radar, with Astros great Nolan Ryan said to be a big fan of his.

The Phillies' overt willingness to significantly pay down the money on Hamels' deal also could aid Houston's chances, as the Astros aren't inclined to pay any one player $24 million annually but possess the type of prospects to give them trading power. But even if they can't get Hamels – remember, he has a 20-team no-trade list that includes them -- the Astros, who currently carry the best record in the AL and are maybe a year or two ahead of their own schedule for serious contention, are said to be intent on adding someone who qualifies as a frontline starter, not just rotation filler.

If the Astros succeed in bolstering their rotation in a big way, they may become a team to be reckoned with, as they already have an ace in crafty lefty Dallas Keuchel and other young talents in a decent-but-not-deep rotation.

"The goal is a No. 1 or 2," says a person familiar with Houston's thinking -- although GM Jeff Luhnow, the architect of the 34-21 team, amended that slightly to say the focus will be on any pitcher who could qualify to pitch games "1 through 3" in a hypothetical playoff rotation, without naming names.

Anyway, it's no surprise then that Hamels would merit strong consideration for the Astros, who have the prospects and then some to tempt the choosy rebuilding Phillies, who are obviously trying to hit a grand slam with this deal, and for good reason.

However, there's a catch: while Hamels is a clear fit for Houston, one person close to him suggested he didn't think it was necessarily likely he would accept a deal to Houston, despite their impressive start and wildly improving future. And although while that person suggested he didn't believe Houston would "float his boat," that person added this caveat: "But you never know."

The same could be said generally about the Astros, who surely have surprised even themselves with their big beginning. They've employed a serious combination of pitching, power and (draft) picks, the latest being Lance McCullers Jr. who threw a complete-game 3-1 win at the Orioles Wednesday in what Luhnow called "one of the best performances by a 21-year-old rookie I've seen on the mound."

The future definitely looks bright, and many expect top shortstop prospect Carlos Correa, maybe baseball's best prospect, up within weeks, if not days, with the unstated reason for the timing possibly connected to the perceived Super Two cutoff. Jed Lowrie, Houston's best hitter early, could return by August at the latest, adding to the hitter parade. But the focus from the outside will be on the rotation.

"We think our offense is good enough to keep us in games and we think the bullpen is in great shape," Luhnow said, calling the rotation "a natural place to look."

Hamels is the natural place to start, and it may take a little convincing (word is, no surprise he'd expect to at least have his option picked up by any team on the no-trade list he approves, as is his right). Houston people seem to love the idea, and sources say Hamels already has the stamp of approval from no less than all-time strikeout king Ryan, a current Astros executive and father of team president Reid Ryan who also happens to "have the ear of owner Jim Crane," in the words of one Astros-connected person.

While Hamels isn't the flamethrower Ryan was, the Hall of Famer "appreciates great pitchers," no matter the pitching style, another Astros person said.

And while the Red Sox, Rangers, Cubs, Dodgers (and several other teams) have been connected much more often to Hamels, the reality is that Houston and Philly have hooked up many times in trades, and the Astros are especially strong in Philly's areas of needs, including the outfield, where Preston Tucker (already up in the bigs) and Brett Phillips are believed to intrigue Philly. Phillies executive Ed Wade, the ex-Astros GM who maintains a solid relationship with the Houston people, acquired some of Houston's better prospects in the Hunter Pence deal that benefited the Astros and could entice Philly now.

The Astros wouldn't part with Correa, who some see as a clean, young Alex Rodriguez, or the brilliant young righthander McCullers Jr. And while they'd also probably like to hold onto 100-mph-throwing righthander Vincent Velasquez, they have many more prospects, including first baseman Jonathan Singleton (who came from Philly in that boffo Pence trade), infielders Nolan Fontana and Colin Moran, outfielders Domingo Santana (who also came in that Pence deal) and Teoscar Hernandez, catcher Max Stassi and many pitchers, including righthander Mark Appel (the former No. 1 pick, who threw 97 mph in his five shutout innings Wednesday, though some still advise a change of scenery.

While Hamels' $24-million salary is a bit steep for Houston, which had baseball's lowest payroll not too long ago, Philly, with enormous TV money coming, is willing to pay down a significant portion of that pay as it aims to stock a thin farm system. That's a strategy that in effect would allow them to buy prospects, as Rob Bradford of WEEI suggested this week. Hamels' deal isn't out of whack, especially considering his recent form and velocity that's returned, so there'd be no need to pay down the contract under normal circumstances.

The biggest question that remains is whether Hamels might approve them. So far he said "no" to the Blue Jays, as was reported here, with his word quashing those talks before they even began. But it's believed he hasn't been asked for approval on anyone else yet.

If the Astros can't get Hamels –- a distinct possibility -- it'd be interesting to see where they'd turn. There's no guarantee the Reds' Johnny Cueto will become available (some suggest Cincinnati is intent on playing things out), and the same is true for Jeff Samardzija of the White Sox or the Padres' Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner (the Padres may not be having the start they envisioned, but there's reason for them to hope as 47 of their first 55 games came against teams with winning records).

In any case, the ace options may be somewhat limited.

Hamels' teammate Aaron Harang, the veteran righthander, is someone who'd interest Houston as a fallback candidate having a very nice year (2.45 ERA), and other possibilities who might include Houston product Scott Kazmir, plus perhaps Clay Buchholz (though it's probably unlikely Boston sells) and Bartolo Colon (he's becoming a folk hero in New York, but if any contender can afford to trade a starter, it's the Mets, though they may be more inclined to deal Jon Niese or Dillon Gee) plus also Kyle Lohse, who has a connection with Luhnow from St. Louis days.

The Astros may be interested in Cole Hamels, but is he interested in them? (USATSI)

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