3 Moves Astros Must Make to Respond to Yankees' Gerrit Cole Signing

The Astros not only lost out on Gerrit Cole; they also watched him head to the Bronx to anchor the rotation of arguably their top competition in the American League. With that in mind, Houston must answer, but they have to be creative with how they do so due to reported payroll concerns. In some cases, the Astros must jump through hoops to improve the roster, but it's not out of the question.

3. Trade for Luis Castillo

Luis Castillo makes sense for the Astros / Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Reds aren't necessarily shopping the young hurler Castillo, but for the right offer, anyone is available. The 27-year-old is coming off his best big league season, dishing a 3.40 ERA, and his value has never been higher. His stuff is electric, but the Reds have a rotation surplus at the moment. This means the Astros, who have shown a willingness to deal Carlos Correa, might have a match and could replace Cole with a stud rightly in his mold.

2. Sign George Springer Long-Term

Astros must lock up George Springer / Bob Levey/Getty Images

George Springer enters free agency next season, and at this point it's questionable whether or not the Astros can afford him. Yet, after losing out on the Cole sweepstakes, and amid rumors about the potential trade of a future salary conundrum in Carlos Correa, Houston's ownership would be out of excuses. Why not keep Springer off the open market altogether, and sign the three-time All-Star long-term while you have the chance.

1. Trade for Josh Hader

Astros should trade for Josh Hader / Will Newton/Getty Images

Okay, we admit this one is spicy, but stay with us. The Astros bullpen beyond Roberto Osuna is a little sketchy. An addition of Hader would rival the Yankees' bullpen, and perhaps even the score when looking over the entirety of both rosters. Eliminating the Yankees primary advantage, while possessing perhaps the most dominant reliever in baseball, is tough to turn down. Hader is very much on the open market, although he'll likely cost the top prospects Houston has somehow found a way to hang onto in previous blockbuster trades (think Kyle Tucker, assuming Springer is re-signed). Yet Hader is under contract (with arbitration) until 2023. That kind of team control on a dominant bullpen presence is tough to find.