After the Houston Astros won the World Series in 2022, they felt comfortable enough with their pitching staff that they let Justin Verlander walk in free agency.
Framber Valdez would take over as the ace and others would slot in behind him.
Having the big lefty lead the rotation should have still provided the Astros with an elite unit, considering Valdez was coming off a season where he had a 17-6 record with a 2.82 ERA across 31 starts. His playoff ERA lowered to 1.44 as he looked like a bonafide star.
He was operating as such to start the 2023 season. Then some struggles caught up with him during the latter part of the year.
Valdez finished with a respectable 3.45 ERA for the season but completely fell apart in the playoffs, posting an 0-3 record with a 9.00 ERA in three starts.
Houston's front office also went and aggressively traded for Verlander at the deadline. It was seen as a move to pair another high-level starter with their current ace for their postseason push.
But, after a disastrous 2023 playoff performance, the Astros might have lost some believe that the left-hander could become the ace of their future.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Houston is interested in getting an elite starter during this offseason.
It's been publicly announced that they will operate with a limited budget in free agency, so that likely takes them out of the running for the best arms on the market. However, this report suggests they could be looking for pitching via trade.
Tyler Glasnow has been linked to the Astros and that would certainly ensure they have one of the best rotations in baseball heading into 2024.
But if they do go this route, that could also be a signal that Valdez might not be their ace of the future.
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