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Astros Ace Picked Perfect Time for Career Year Ahead of MLB Free Agency

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 8:00 PM ET

There have been several Houston Astros players who have picked up the slack throughout the 2025 MLB regular season, helping compensate for the amount of talent and production that the franchise lost over the offseason.

Third baseman Alex Bregman, right fielder Kyle Tucker, starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi and relief pitcher Ryan Pressly highlighted the losses this past winter via free agency and trades.

Some people were writing the Astros off because of that, believing the loss to the Detroit Tigers in the AL Wild Card series to snap their seven-year streak of reaching the ALCS was the precursor to the end of their reign along with the amount of talent lost.

Alas, the people who wrote Houston off have been proven wrong, with the Astros atop the American League West with a 67-52 record. They have their work cut out for them to hold off the surging Seattle Mariners, who are 66-53, but a ninth consecutive playoff appearance seems within reach.

A major reason Houston is in a position to make the postseason again is the performance of their long-time ace, Framber Valdez, who picked the perfect time to compile a career campaign as he prepares for free agency this winter.

He has been incredibly consistent over the last three seasons, finishing in the top nine of the AL Cy Young voting each year. Valdez was on the MVP ballot twice and made the AL All-Star Team on two occasions as well.

Framber Valdez has set himself up for free agency payday

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His lowest bWAR recorded during that span was 3.2, providing steady performance on the mound despite not having the most electrifying stuff or numbers that will jump off the page, such as massive strikeout totals.

It is that consistency that is going to get Valdez paid handsomely in free agency, whether it is from the Astros or another franchise.

“Unlike Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen and Michael King, Valdez has put together an excellent platform season, setting himself up to land the biggest free-agent contract this winter…He’ll get paid this winter,” wrote Andy McCullough of The Athletic (subscription required).

Valdez has a 2.97 ERA through his first 23 starts and 145.2 innings pitched with 145 strikeouts. The 2.96 FIP he has produced would be his lowest in a 162-game campaign of his career, taking his game to another level before free agency.

He will be 32 years old on Opening Day in 2026, which might scare away some teams. But he has a pitching style that will age gracefully because he isn’t relying on overpowering opponents, instead pitching to contact and limiting damage low in the zone.

His proven track record in the postseason is an excellent selling point as well that he should have an opportunity to grow with Houston looking postseason bound again.