Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow indicated earlier this season that young starters such as Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh were not going to be used as trade chips because they were too valuable for the team's future. But times have changed, according to Fox Sports.
A shortage of starting pitchers among some contenders could result in strong packages offered for Keuchel and/or McHugh. And the Astros have become open to exploring such a deal.
"We do seem to have an excess of pretty good young starters so we wouldn't rule out anything," Luhnow said. "We'd have to get back a big-league piece, preferably a bat, in a package that makes sense for the future and present."
Both Keuchel and McHugh, however, have cooled off as the weather has heated up. The former is 0-4 in his last six starts with 57 hits allowed in his last 36 2/3 innings. McHugh has lost his last six starts, though a lack of run support has played as big a role in that misery as poor performance.