At the MLB trade deadline, the Houston Astros made a couple of interesting deals. The biggest of the three they swung was re-acquiring Carlos Correa. They also brought in Jesus Sanchez to be a left-handed bat, as well as adding Ramon Urias for infield depth.
But, for Drew Koch of Climbing Tal’s Hill, the Astros made a mistake at the trade deadline, and the recent struggles of starting pitcher Framber Valdez have highlighted such an error.
“Astros GM Dana Brown felt as though the prices attached to starting pitchers were far too steep,” Koch writes, “and furthermore, Houston had numerous injured starters slated to return to the rotation during the second half of the season. Forgoing such an upgrade, however, may completely backfire if Valdez continues to struggle.”
The Astros were in trade talks with the San Diego Padres for starting pitcher Dylan Cease, but a deal never materialized as the Padres were asking for too much. Instead, the Astros didn’t add a starter, relying on their injured starters returning to the rotation.
Houston was also relying on Valdez and Hunter Brown to remain the top arms in baseball. While Brown is one of the top Cy Young candidates in the AL, Valdez’s recent outings leave much to be desired.
The 31-year-old starter made two starts after the All-Star break, with both resulting in losses. Across 11.2 innings during those two outings, Valdez allowed 15 hits, 10 runs, nine earned, with no home runs and five walks given up, and striking out just four.
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His ERA during these two games is 6.94, which has been a drastic difference compared to the 2.62 ERA in 21 starts before these two outings. Those struggles are the main point of contention for Koch.
If these struggles continue for Valdez, then the Astros could be in a precarious spot with their starting rotation. While they have talent, pitchers like Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, and Luis Garcia are all coming from injuries.
Valdez isn’t, and is heading into free agency after 2025. His struggles aren’t just a negative for Houston, but a blemish on the resume of Valdez as he’s looking to land a big deal in free agency.
While his 2.97 ERA this season is still great, the most recent starts from Valdez are concerning. His struggles are something to monitor, especially with Brown passing on rotation upgrades at the trade deadline.
Even though the cost is high, the Astros could’ve committed more for this season by landing one of the top starters on the market. While Koch’s point is strange, as it’s only two bad outings, it’s something to monitor during Valdez’s next start.
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