The Houston Astros have their sights set on finishing the regular season strong since their lead in the AL West standings is now down to two games. But the front office has to start looking ahead to the upcoming winter.
While they aren’t expected to be an active team based on them signing Christian Walker to a lucrative deal this past offseason and having acquired the long-term contract of Carlos Correa ahead of this year’s trade deadline, they will need to find an answer at the top of their rotation.
That’s because they are expected to let Framber Valdez walk. With the left-hander projected to land a massive deal on the open market, the Astros likely won’t match any high-end offers that it would take to keep their ace.
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There was a report that revealed at least one MLB team has crossed the left-hander off their list of targets following the cross-up incident that took place between Valdez and Cesar Salazar, but based on his body of work, he should have plenty of suitors when he hits the open market. And according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post (subscription required), he believes there are at least six teams who could be suitors for Valdez in free agency.
“The underrated lefty leads MLB in wins and innings per start since 2020. Red Sox, Giants, Rangers, Orioles, Tigers, Padres,” he wrote.
All of those teams are interesting in their own right. It’s also notable to think about some of the teams the insider didn’t mention, with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs being left off this list.
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The Boston Red Sox pulled off a massive trade for Garrett Crochet last winter that looks like a genius move since he’s in the running for the AL Cy Young Award this season. But beyond him, they have struggled in the rotation. So handing out an expensive contract to Valdez could be their solution.
The Detroit Tigers need another arm to pair behind Tarik Skubal. However, they have to pay their ace in a couple of years if they don’t want him to hit free agency, so spending money on Valdez might not be the best idea.
The San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles all fall in a similar boat. They either have aces at the top of their rotation and need another arm behind them or they are searching for someone who can give them consistent outings and lead their starting unit. The Giants can spend if they want and the Padres have shown their willingness to be aggressive. And with the new billionaire owner the Orioles have, they could go out and land Valdez as their first major splash.
Then there’s the Texas Rangers, a franchise that is searching for the next wave of players who can lead them back to a World Series championship after two straight seasons of disappointment following their triumph in 2023.
Not only would adding Valdez help that cause, but it would also weaken their archrivals, which could drive the Rangers to make that move once free agency begins.