Framber

Valdez

Brown made it clear that he doesn’t anticipate dealing the 31-year-old southpaw, but he is at least willing to entertain the idea. The club’s ace is entering his final season of arbitration before he’s scheduled to hit free agency in 2026 and after the Astros parted with Kyle Tucker in a similar situation on Friday it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear that teams are now inquiring on Valdez. The left-hander went 15-7 with a stellar 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 169/55 K/BB ratio over 176 1/3 innings in 28 starts during the 2024 campaign.

Rome adds that no discussions are believed to be serious and no deal appears imminent. Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters at the Winter Meetings that they’ll listen on anyone when asked directly whether Tucker and lefty ace Framber Valdez are potentially on the trade block. The 27-year-old fantasy stalwart was limited to just 78 contests last season due to a painful shin injury that kept him sidelined for more than three months. It’s a developing situation worth monitoring as the offseason unfolds, especially when it comes to teams that missed out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes.

Valdez’s postseason career got off to an awesome start — he had a 1.44 ERA in 12 starts and one relief appearances through the 2022 World Series — but four outings dating back to last year have produced four defeats, with Valdez giving up 15 earned runs over 16 1/3 innings. The Astros will need to win these next two games for Valdez to have another chance in the ALDS.

The opponent isn’t known yet — it’ll be the Tigers or Royals — but Valdez will get the start regardless. That’s not a surprise at all, as he’s easily been Houston’s best starter in 2024. The question is who will pitch after Valdez, but it seems likely that Hunter Brown will get the nod in Game 2 against Detroit or Kansas City.

It’s Houston’s seventh division title in eight years. Valdez moved to 15-8 with a 2.91 ERA. He would have been an option to start Sunday against the Guardians, but now his next appearance figures to come in a Wild Card series.

Valdez gave up five hits, walked two and struck out six. He pitched well enough to win, but the Astros were shutout in the loss. Valdez has allowed one or zero runs in seven of his last eight starts. He has a 1.18 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings in that time. Valdez is 14-7 with a 2.85 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 165 strikeouts in 170 2/3 innings on the year. The 30-year-old left-hander is set to face the Mariners at home next week.

Valdez, who had a 20-inning scoreless streak going, was pulled from a 2-1 game right after the lone run in the seventh. The A’s came back to tie the game in the eighth, leaving Valdez with a no-decision for his effort. Valdez isn’t going to win the AL Cy Young Award this year, but he should place on ballots once again. He’s 14-6 with a 2.91 ERA.

Valdez allowed just two hits and struck out seven in another gem. He’s pitched seven scoreless innings in three of his last four appearances, and he’s allowed two runs or fewer in 16 of his 25 starts this season. He’s very much in the mix for one of the top three spots on AL Cy Young ballots.

Valdez was at 98 pitches through seven, which was just nine shy of his career high for the year. The Astros might have kept him in for the ninth if he were at 98 pitches through eight, but they didn’t want him pitching two more innings with that kind of pitch count. The team lost the no-hitter on a single in the eighth, and the Royals went on to tie the game at 2-2 in the ninth. That meant no win for Valdez, but the Astros did prevail in the bottom of the ninth. Valdez is 13-6 with a 3.11 ERA. In 25 starts, he’s allowed zero runs five times, one run five times and two runs five times.

Valdez had scattered five baserunners over five scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the sixth. He loaded the bases with two outs and was replaced on the mound by Tayler Scott, who allowed all three runners to score on a double by Jackson Holliday. Valdez struck out eight on the day. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 139/44 K/BB ratio across 143 1/3 innings into a start against the Royals in Houston on Thursday.