The Houston Astros are in the market for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, but it won't be for this Miami Marlins struggling ace.

Astros beat writer Matt Kawahara answers readers' questions about Yordan Alvarez's status, the upcoming MLB trade deadline and other topics.

With little cap space and an absence of touted prospects to deal, the trade deadline could be a challenge for Houston.

To fix that, and add a more dynamic pitcher and create a three-headed monster of a rotation, Dylan Sanders of Sports Illustrated predicted that the Astros could trade for Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale.

The Houston Astros lead their division, but have problems in their rotation. Joe Espada could use the opening to give one prospect a shot.