Johnny Cueto is one of several arms the Astros are monitoring

Coming off of a three-game sweep of the defending American League champion Kansas City Royals, the Houston Astros are soaring high. With a stacked offense that includes Jose Altuve, George Springer, and Evan Gattis, among many others, this club is destined for regular season, and even postseason success.

But there is one element missing to this team; another starting pitcher.

Sure, Dallas Keuchel is serving wonderfully as the ace of the staff. And Lance McCullers and Collin McHugh both have tremendous records. Vincent Velasquez is even making a mark, though perhaps not as significantly as McCullers and McHugh. The bullpen is also one of the best in the American League, falling only slightly behind the Royals, Tigers, and White Sox.

It is no secret, however, that adding another starter to complete the rotation is sorely needed to put the Astros over the top. GM Jeff Lunhow has been trying to find the right pieces to move in order to get that starter. Two of the biggest names that have come up in the conversation have been the Phillies’ Cole Hamels and the Reds’ Johnny Cueto. An examination of both of these pitchers will help bring to light which one would be a good fit to don the Astros’ cap.

Cole Hamels

The Phillies ace has a career ERA of 3.27 with a 113-89 record and 1,820 strikeouts with a WHIP of 1.14. Further look at his depth and zone chart shows that Hamels throws more for fastballs and breaking balls, hitting the zone with both. Not bad numbers, especially for someone who has been as consistent as Hamels has in appearances made. The 31-year-old started at least 30 games for the Phillies from 2008-14, and he’s on pace to again do so in 2015. One roadblock in this case is the Astros inability to meet the asking price for Hamels. Not to mention, Hamels himself has mentioned not wanting to be traded to Houston in the first place. Hamels has a no-trade clause that he’s said to be willing to waive in certain instances, but it’s rumored that he would veto a deal sending him to Houston.

Johnny Cueto

Luckily, Cueto doesn’t have a no-trade clause, which should give the Astros more leeway in his case. Cueto has posted a career 3.24 ERA with a 90-62 record, 1,095 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.17. However, over the last four years he’s maintained a 2.53 ERA and 1.046 WHIP. His depth and zone charts show that, while Cueto can throw a good fastball, he also has a tremendous slider, sinker and curveball to work with. While those are elite numbers, and his stuff is undeniably nasty, he does come with an extensive injury history. This has carried forward into 2015, as he recently underwent an MRI on his throwing elbow. While the exam came back clean, this is certainly a cause for concern for potential suitors. Considering this, and the fact that Cueto is set to hit the free agent market this fall, his asking price shouldn’t be ridiculous.

All in all, Cueto looks like the best fit for this Astros ball club, and should be the one targeted to join the team’s rotation. His injury history makes him a bit of a risky investment, but his presence could help the Astros make their first playoff appearance since 2005.

James Zeankowski is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from James, check out his archive and follow him @tvwizard85.