Astros Ace Might Price Himself Out of Franchise's Long-Term Plans

As the Houston Astros continue to hang tough in the American League West, they will have some important decisions to make once again this coming winter.

This past offseason, the Astros were a team that went into a bit of a retool after being eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card Round.

Houston elected to trade star outfielder Kyle Tucker with a year left on his deal to the Chicago Cubs. Even though they received a strong package in return, it was a clear indication about the future spending plans of the team.

Furthermore, they also saw Alex Bregman walk in free agency. The loss of these two players has hurt the lineup, but the Astros have been finding ways to win.

After the trade of Tucker especially, there was speculation that the team might move another player entering the final year of his contract. However, it was just the slugger who was dealt, and Houston is letting it ride on their other impending star-free agent.

What Does the Future for Framber Valdez Look Like?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about upcoming free agent Valdez off to a bit of a slow start by his standards in a contract year.

“A big-game pitcher, Valdez has one of the best ground-ball rates in baseball (62 percent career mark) and ranks in the 92nd percentile this season. He’s off to a slow start this year, posting a 3.57 ERA over 10 starts.,” he wrote.

It has been a fine start to the campaign for Valdez, but it has become quite apparent that this is now Hunter Brown’s rotation.

The young right-hander has emerged as an AL Cy Young candidate like some projected he could be entering the season, which could make Valdez a bit expendable for the team in the future.

Despite a great career so far for Houston, the southpaw is hitting free agency a bit late and will be 32 years old in November. Paying pitchers long-term is always a risk, and that risk gets higher the older they get.

So far in 2025, he has totaled a 4-4 record and a 3.39 ERA. While the numbers have been solid, they don’t scream ace anymore, and the Astros have been very mindful about handing out long-term deals.

Even if it’s not with Houston, Valdez will certainly receive a lot of great offers as arguably the best left-handed pitcher in the upcoming free-agent class.

Assuming the Astros stay contenders heading into the trade deadline, they should hold on to the left-hander. However, if they fall out of the playoff picture, he could be a great asset to deal.