Framber Valdez has grabbed headlines for the wrong reasons in the last few weeks with his viral “cross-up” with catcher Cesar Salazar as well as his below average performance on the mound. The end may be near in Houston for Valdez as he is set to enter free agency after this season with a hefty price associated with his name.
Valdez has been one of the most reliable starters in the MLB for five seasons now, posting a career 3.32 ERA without any significant missed time due to injury.
He will be turning 32 this offseason however, and according to spotrac, his market value is set at over $200 million. Houston has their ace of the future in Hunter Brown and a decent amount of depth behind him, so committing such a grand amount of money to Valdez as he enters his mid-30’s seems less than likely.
It doesn’t help that he’s shown some defiance towards his teammates lately as seen in the viral cross-up, and despite a good season overall, he is 1-5 in his last seven starts with a 5.95 ERA.
Spotrac is predicting that the left-handed pitcher will command an asking price of four seasons at over $37 million per season, with potential for that number to increase if Valdez’s camp ask for more length. This is likely as this offseason will probably be their best chance to take advantage of the market before he ages out of his current value.
Valdez Still a Major Player in Houston’s Postseason Hopes
As of Sept. 8, the Astros hold the AL West lead at 78-66, two and a half games ahead of second place Seattle and four ahead of Texas. With that being said, any slip ups or significant losing streaks could put them on the brink of missing the playoffs if they are overtaken in the West and forced into the Wild Card race where both the Yankees and Red Sox hold better records than them.
So, even with Valdez’s recent struggles, his A-game will be necessary for the Astros to first and foremost make the playoffs and then compete in October.
Valdez’s season stats aren’t bad. He’s posted an record of 12-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 176 innings pitched. He’s on track to get break 200 innings for the second time in his career, or scare the number at the very least.
His postseason track record is inconsistent, but in 2020 and 2022 he posted records of 3-0 and 3-1 respectively with ERA’s of 1.88 and 1.44. His last two playoff runs have been less than stellar with an ERA of 9.00 in three starts in 2023 and one bad start last year where he allowed three runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings.
Whether his recent struggles are a result of burnout after a long season or frustration with his teammates, they need to be figured out soon for the Astros to find success coming down the stretch.
Big Matchups Set For Houston to End Regular Season
Starting Sept. 9, the Astros will take on the AL leading Toronto Blue Jays in a three game set before a quick trip to Atlanta.
After that, they’ll play their final 12 games against each member of the AL West, with the first six coming at home against the two teams breathing down their backs, Seattle and Texas.
Houston has a 77.4 percent chance to make the postseason as of Sept. 8, though the Mariners have better odds to win the division at 53.6 percent.
Houston controls it’s own destiny, now it’s time to see if they have what it takes to succeed down the stretch.
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