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3 hours ago
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It seems all but guaranteed that the Houston Astros will allow Framber Valdez to walk in free agency this winter. After trading away Kyle Tucker, letting Alex Bregman sign with the Boston Red Sox, and many other scenarios in recent years, the Astros haven't exactly shown the willingness to keep stars around.
If the plan is to allow Valdez to walk, there isn't much of a reason for the Astros to keep him around at the trade deadline.
The reality of this unfortunate situation is that the Astros likely aren't good enough to win a World Series, and their third-place showing in the blow average American League West only confirms that.
For Valdez, however, he can't worry too much about where he's pitching, as he's ready to land a massive deal in free agency this winter. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, that deal will likely be over $100 million, adding that he's throwing the baseball harder than ever.
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“He's throwing harder than ever, which is the sort of thing that helps convince teams to invest in a starting pitcher who will be 32 next Opening Day. Listed at 5-foot-11, 232 pounds, Valdez doesn't have the sort of body that tends to age well, but he throws lots of innings, doesn't walk hitters, wields plenty of postseason experience and limits home runs. That is an exciting group of attributes, even if sinkerballers aren't the sexiest signings in today's strikeout-focused game,” he wrote.
Valdez has had a few injury scares throughout his career, but has managed to stay on the mound for much of it, throwing in at least 176.1 innings in each of the past three seasons.
With seven starts under his belt during the 2025 campaign, he owns a 4.39 ERA, far higher than any other number he's posted throughout his career.
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