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The Houston Astros collapsed at the end of the season and missed the postseason entirely.
As a result, there are a lot of eyes on the Astros this offseason. They’re expected to make some moves to get their team back in contention, but their ace, Framber Valdez, is set to enter free agency. This could throw a wrench in the team’s plans.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently projected Valdez would sign for $135 million over five years in free agency this winter.
“Framber Valdez was on track to be the highest-paid starting pitcher in the 2025-26 free-agent class before a bizarre incident where he appeared to intentionally cross up his catcher, César Salazar, with a fastball to the chest out of frustration,” Reuter wrote. “Given his strong track record of frontline production and significant postseason experience, more than a few teams will likely look at the bigger picture of what adding him to the rotation would mean for their 2026 outlook. However, there could also be a few clubs that avoid him entirely if they view that as a clubhouse red flag.”
The Astros should be seen as one of the top suitors for Valdez, but it’s always difficult to judge the market on pitchers.
Valdez is one of the top arms in free agency, and every team in baseball could use him. Houston is going to need to open its checkbook to re-sign Valdez, but it may be necessary if the Astros want to avoid a similar disappointment going forward.
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