Getty Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez considers his next move on the mound.
As the Los Angeles Dodgers made this offseason’s first major starting pitcher acquisition, working to finalize a five-year, $135 million extension with Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow, Major League Baseball teams are now turning to the remaining starters on the market.
Some names have been the center of trade rumors for months, like Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Milwaukee Brewers’ former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and White Sox star Dylan Cease. But now a surprising name has entered the fray thanks to his team’s precarious financial situation: Framber Valdez.
At Least 2 MLB Teams Now ‘Monitoring’ Houston Astros Ace Framber Valdez
GettyFramber Valdez celebrates a 2023 no hitter.
Valdez is one of the most consistent and high-velocity pitchers in the big leagues, ending each of the last two seasons in the top 10 of Cy Young voting. But the Houston Astros are facing payroll limits that have put the starter on competing teams’ radars for a potential trade.
“Executives from two clubs indicated this week that their teams are monitoring the possibility of the Astros trading left-hander Framber Valdez,” reported Ken Rosenthal, an MLB insider for The Athletic. “For a variety of reasons, such a move could make sense.”
The Astros project to have a $237.4 million luxury-tax payroll next season, per Fangraphs, which is above the 2024 competitive balance tax threshold of $237 million. Under current owner Jim Crane, the Astros have only exceeded that limit in the 2020 season, when penalties were ultimately forgiven due to a shortened season among the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crane is widely seen as someone who won’t go into any season above the payroll limit, and that could be the reason the Astros have been relatively quiet so far this winter.
“The actions of Crane’s baseball operations officials this winter suggest that staying under the luxury tax is a priority,” according to The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.
Is Framber Valdez the Next MLB Ace to Be Traded?
One way Crane and the Astros could get under the limit would be by dealing Valdez, who is set to earn more than $12 million in arbitration in 2024 before hitting the free agent market in 2026. And the Astros would likely receive significant returns for their farm system or to address needs like a left-handed outfielder or additional bullpen help.
If they’re interested in moving the ace, they will certainly find willing trade partners. Since 2018, Valdez has pitched more than 712 innings, racking up 697 strikeouts and 53 wins. He has a career 3.40 ERA across his six MLB seasons, all with the Astros, and was an All Star in 2022 and 2023.
On August 1, 2023, Valdez threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians, tossing just 93 pitches.
Digging deeper, Valdez is an even more attractive trade chip for those seeking a starter at the top of their rotation. In 2023, when he matched his career high for starts, his exit velocity was among the best in the league at 91.5 MPH and his hard hit percentage was toward the bottom at 45.6% — two career marks in his 30-year-old season.
If Valdez really is the next starting pitcher to be moved this offseason, the team that secures him will get an impact ace for years to come. And the Astros could find their best route to staying on budget.