2 weeks Ago
The Houston Astros saw a massive amount of change this offseason and had to say goodbye to some players who have been faces of the franchise for a long time. Watching Alex Bregman walk away to the Boston Red Sox and Kyle Tucker get traded to the Chicago Cubs stung to see, but each departure made sense at the time. When Tucker was dealt, it appeared to signal that the Astros would be rebuilding, but instead they made several re-tooling moves to try to compete, holding onto most of the rest of their talent.
One name who was seen as a potential trade candidate after the Tucker deal but ended up staying instead is right-handed pitcher Framber Valdez. Even though he -- like Tucker -- is a free agent next winter, 2024 was the best season of his career and he entered 2025 still producing at a reliable level. This year, however, he has struggled in two of his last three starts, with Monday's loss against the St.
Louis Cardinals being one of the worst of his career. In four innings, Valdez gave up 10 hits and seven earned runs, spiking his ERA from 2.50 all the way to 4.
91. One could chalk this up to simply a bad start and an unavoidable reality for pitchers in Major League Baseball, but if it's the start of a major trend, then the Astros could be in some serious trouble. After deciding not to trade Valdez this offseason, it made sense to think he could simply be dealt at the deadline if things went off the rails this season.
However, if Valdez starts putting up bad numbers, no team in their right mind is giving up anything significant for a struggling pitcher on an expiring deal. Had they traded him this offseason, his value would never have been higher and he could have netted a massive prospect in return. At the deadline however, while desperation from teams comes into play there where it does not in the offseason, nobody will be desperate to trade for Valdez during a bad season.
If Houston remains competitive and Valdez gets back to posting strong outings, you can't fault the team for choosing to keep him even after he inevitably leaves next winter. But if Valdez does not turn it back around and they either have to keep him or send him away for a meager trade package, the Astros will be kicking themselves for not trading him when they had the chance this past offseason. Recommended Articles.
