Astros Trade Deadline Rumors: Houston eyeing possible move for Jameson Taillon before July 30, per insider

The 2024 MLB trade deadline is drawing closer to its climax, and Jameson Taillon of the Chicago Cubs is presently being targeted for a possible move by several teams right now. The two-time World Series champion Houston Astros are reportedly the latest franchise to join the race to acquire the 32-year-old starting pitcher.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Astros want to add Taillon to their pitching staff as they look to secure their route to the postseason.

The Astros starting rotation was severely marred by injuries even before the season began. At the moment, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Urquidy, and Luis Garcia are all on the 60-Day IL. Justin Verlander will return from the sidelines soon, but he may not pitch over 140 innings this season. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has made just 10 starts in 2024.

Meanwhile, Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs, has already indicated that they are willing to sell at the trade deadline. The Cubs are in last place in the National League Central and five games behind the final wildcard berth. Nevertheless, Jameson Taillon has had a solid campaign so far, with a 2.96 ERA from 17 starts and 2.0 bWAR for the season.

Although Taillon cannot be considered an ace, he has nevertheless pitched more than 140 innings in four of his past five seasons in the major leagues. However, the former Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees right-hander has only recorded 100.1 IP in 2024, so he should have enough fuel remaining in the tank for the postseason.

Astros will have to pay a heavy price to acquire Jameson Taillon

Jameson Taillon had signed a four-year, $68 million deal with the Chicago Cubs in 2023 (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Jameson Taillon is currently serving the second year of his four-year, $68 million contract that he signed with the Chicago Cubs at the start of the 2023 season. Taillon has an $18 million annual salary, which makes him the fifth highest-paid player on the Cubs roster, as well as being their top-earning pitcher for the current campaign.

The Houston Astros will have to commit a significant sum of money to acquire Jameson Taillon, which will also put them over the luxury tax threshold. The Astros may look to offload reliever Rafael Montero in this deal, who has more than 12 months left on his three-year, $34.5 million contract. They will probably need to add a couple of prospects to it, but their farm system is already running thin.