The Houston Astros will likely encounter some problems with left-hander Framber Valdez during the offseason. Not only is Valdez excellent and set to hit the free agency market this winter, but a good argument must be made that he’s the best arm on the market by a wide margin.
Frankly, unless somebody views Dylan Cease as the same type of pitcher that he is, there isn’t a chance that Valdez isn’t the best arm available.
Because he’s stayed on the mound for much of his career, Valdez could be looking at a $200 million deal if everything goes as well as it can.
It’ll be interesting to see if that’ll be in Houston, but many don’t expect that to be the case. Regardless of what happens regarding a team he signs with, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report had some interesting thoughts. He noted that at the very least, he could be looking at $175 million over seven years, just like Aaron Nola received.
“Though we said the same thing about Corbin Burnes, Valdez also has a cleaner injury history than most starting pitchers. Apart from a scare with elbow soreness last year, he notably hasn’t had any issues with his arm…
“ESPN’s Jeff Passan submitted Valdez as a candidate for a $100 million deal in May, and Spotrac even puts his market value at $209 million over six years. The latter is probably a reach, but he can at least chase after Aaron Nola’s seven-year, $175 million standard for a durable pitcher in his early 30s,” he wrote.
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As things stand right now, the Astros should have an opportunity to win a World Series again next season.
Perhaps if they win it all this year, they’d be content with allowing Valdez to walk, but they need to keep pitching around if they don’t.
