Apr 27, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

Astros All-Star Can Shake Up AL West With Free Agency Decision

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 9:30 AM ET

The Houston Astros have one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball right now in Framber Valdez.

Valdez is a two-time All-Star, is just 31 years old, and has a career 3.32 ERA in eight big league seasons. He's also going to be heading to the open market this upcoming offseason as a free agent. His free agent case is fascinating. Last year, fellow lefty starter Max Fried landed an eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees. Fried was 30 years and carried a 3.07 career ERA in eight big league seasons. Valdez isn't far off, but clearly is below that 3.07 metric and is one year older.

Regardless, he's going to get a big contract this offseason. But, will that be with the Houston Astros? FanSided's Christopher Kline predicted it won't be the case.

Will the Astros lose a big piece?

"Framber Valdez finds himself in a bit of hot water down the stretch. He appeared to intentionally cross up his own catcher on Tuesday after giving up a grand slam. A couple bad starts in recent weeks has raised his ERA to 3.40 with a 1.21 WHIP. Valdez finished seventh in Cy Young voting a year ago and has been overwhelmingly excellent across eight seasons with the Astros, but the writing might be on the wall...

"Even with the recent controversy, Valdez should command significant money on the open market. Quality pitching has never been at more of a premium and few upcoming free agents will boast a stronger résumé than the 31-year-old sinkerballer. Houston has the cash in theory, but as the Astros scale, it feels like the end is nigh for an increasingly frustrated Valdez. That means there is a real chance that every AL West team loses its top free agent this winter. How they go about replacing them — and whether any of those big names relocate within the division — will be a fascinating storyline to monitor. Verdict: Go."

If Valdez were to leave, that would shake things up in the AL West. The Astros have some pitching depth, but losing a guy like Valdez makes things easier for the teams around Houston. The Astros currently have just a two-game lead over the Seattle Mariners and a 3 1/2-game lead over the Texas Rangers. If the Astros were to lose Valdez, then that would tighten things up even further. Maybe we could even see a team like the Mariners, who have been trending in the right direction, leapfrog the Astros as the top team in the division.

More MLB: Mariners' 45-HR All-Star Predicted To Ditch Seattle In Favor Of Tigers

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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