Nate Pearson’s designation for assignment Sunday did more than end another brief Astros tenure. It underscored why Houston enters the trade deadline still searching for pitching despite spending the offseason trying to solve that very problem. Of the six pitchers general manager Dana Brown added last winter, three have already been designated for assignment, one has struggled badly in the rotation, and another is on the injured list.
Brown rebuilt a staff devastated by injuries in 2025, adding six pitchers through free agency, trades, and the Rule 5 draft while preparing for the likely departure of longtime ace Framber Valdez. Collectively, that group has posted a 5.73 ERA across 260⅔ innings this season. Ryan Weiss, Roddery Muñoz, and, most recently, Pearson have all been designated for assignment, while Mike Burrows landed on the injured list after posting one of the highest ERAs among Astros starters. Kai-Wei Teng has at least returned to Houston’s bullpen after shuttling between the majors and Triple-A and spending time on the injured list.
The centerpiece of the offseason was Tatsuya Imai. Houston beat out a competitive market to sign the former NPB ace to a three-year contract worth up to $54 million, plus a posting fee of roughly $9.7 million to the Seibu Lions. After dominating in Japan with a 1.92 ERA and 178 strikeouts in his final NPB season, Imai has struggled to a 6.06 ERA through 13 starts in his first major league campaign.
Ryan Weiss arrived on a one-year, $2.6 million contract after two successful seasons in the KBO with the Hanwha Eagles, but he was designated for assignment before making much of an impact. Pearson, signed for $1.35 million with hopes he could transition into a starting role, instead settled into middle relief once healthy. He posted a respectable 3.60 ERA across 16 appearances but never established himself in high-leverage situations, appearing in just three games with Houston holding a lead before Sunday’s DFA.
The trade market produced Burrows and Teng. Burrows arrived from Pittsburgh in a three-team deal involving Tampa Bay that cost Houston outfielder Jacob Melton and minor league right-hander Anderson Brito. Teng came over separately from the Giants in exchange for minor league catcher Jancel Villarroel. Muñoz, selected from Cincinnati in the Rule 5 draft, became the first member of the group designated for assignment earlier this season.
Pearson’s departure also creates roster flexibility as Houston prepares to activate Ronel Blanco from the 60-day injured list Monday against the Miami Marlins, with reliever Bennett Sousa expected back soon. While both pitchers should help, they’re returning from Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon surgery, respectively, hardly the reinforcement Houston envisioned when it spent the winter reshaping its staff.
Houston hoped its offseason overhaul would eliminate the need to chase pitching at the trade deadline. Instead, the Astros find themselves in much the same position they occupied a year ago. Three acquisitions are already gone, Imai is still searching for consistency, Burrows is sidelined, and Houston is once again counting on pitchers returning from major surgeries to stabilize the staff. If the Astros intend to bolster their postseason chances, the trade deadline now looks less like an opportunity to add depth and more like another attempt to solve problems the offseason was supposed to fix.
