If the Houston Astros have shown one thing over the past few years, it’s that they’re willing to let some of their top players walk. With Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker being the most recent examples, trading Tucker to the Cubs and letting Bregman walk in free agency, the Astros haven’t retained talent in recent years.
There’s another tough scenario coming in the next few months, with left-hander Framber Valdez hitting the free agency market at the end of the campaign.
Valdez has again been excellent, posting a 3.07 ERA and striking out 84 hitters.
But according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, it’s very unlikely that the Astros will keep him as his price has only continued to climb over his last six starts, when he’s undoubtedly been one of the top five pitchers in the game.
“It is not likely, John. Valdez’s price tag has climbed considerably during his past six starts, a stretch in which he’s posted a 1.84 ERA and struck out 47 hitters across 44 innings.
“Valdez and his representatives at Octagon will likely use Max Fried’s eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees as a framework for free-agent discussions. Fried is two months younger than Valdez, but the two southpaws have strikingly similar numbers in their careers,” he wrote.
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$218 million for Valdez would be a ton of money to give up, but he’s proven that he can be an ace-caliber arm for parts of his career.
There have been others where he’s struggled some, but when he finds the zone and throws strikes, there’s reason to believe he’s one of the better left-handed starters in baseball.
