Astros Trade Rumors: 3 Things To Know Before The Deadline

The hours are ticking down in advance of Friday's 2015 MLB Trade Deadline, and there's plenty of intrigue to go around surrounding all 30 MLB teams -- ESPECIALLY the Houston Astros. With that in mind, here are three rumors you need to know:

Houston actively pursuing Cole Hamels

Just days after acquiring ace Scott Kazmir from the Oakland A's, the Houston Astros are making a run to land another ace Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Source confirms: #Astros “in the ballpark” on bidding for Hamels. First reported by @jcrasnick. Hamels can reject a trade to HOU.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2015

Hamels did not include the Astros in the list of teams he gave the Phillies free permission to negotiate a deal with, meaning Houston will have to do some persuading on that front.

This signals a bold mindset from Houston's front office, who has obviously flipped the page and is trying to win now with their incredible first-half success.

Astros a possible landing spot for Price?

The Astros expressed interest in acquiring Tigers ace Price earlier in the month, but moved on to Scott Kazmir after learning that Price wasn't available at the time.

Their pursuit of Hamels clearly shows their desire to add another ace to their staff, but now that Detroit has made Price available, expect Houston to jump on the opportunity to try to make a deal for him again.

Houston looking for bullpen help

The Astros are “monitoring” the market for bullpen pieces, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, who says they have inquired about Craig Kimbrel, Joaquin Benoit, and Francisco Rodriguez.

Follow our Houston Astros team page for all the latest Astros news and rumors!