As the Houston Astros continue to try to hold on in the American League West, they have overcome many injuries so far this year. It has been an impressive showing for the Astros in 2025. This was a team that was hard to predict what they might look like after an offseason in which they lost Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman.
With two players of that caliber no longer being in the lineup, it has certainly had an impact on the offense for Houston. Fortunately, the early results from the return in the Tucker deal appear to be strong.
In addition to the massive changes over the winter, the team has had their star slugger, Yordan Alvarez, out for most of the year. The talented slugger got off to a slow start before getting injured and has just recently returned.
Fortunately, the bullpen for the Astros has been fantastic, and they have one of the best duos at the top of their rotation in baseball. That is a good formula for success in the playoffs, but they do have a looming decision to make regarding their star southpaw.
Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com recently wrote about Astros starter Framber Valdez needing a strong end of the year to solidify his spot as the top pitcher in the free agent class.
It has been another fantastic campaign for the left-hander, who continues to be one of the most consistent pitchers in the game. So far this season, he has totaled a 12-7 record and 3.18 ERA. There were some concerns of late with his struggles in August, but he was able to silence those with a fantastic performance against the Colorado Rockies, in which he pitched seven scoreless innings.
When looking at the likely free agents, Valdez has the top track record of any of the projected pitchers who are set to be available, but he is going to be turning 32 years old this coming fall. That is a touch late to be hitting free agency, but he has shown no signs of slowing down with his pitching style projecting to translate well heading into his late 30s.
The Astros will likely try to retain Valdez by offering some sort of contract since the rest of the starting rotation is a bit of a question mark outside of Hunter Brown. But if they do want to keep him, it is not going to come cheap.
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