Houston Astros May Have Just Lost Their Star Pitcher for Good

The Houston Astros know that pitcher Framber Valdez is slated to hit the free-agent market next offseason, and all along, they understood that they may not be able to re-sign him. Well, now, the Astros are probably resigned to the fact that Valdez will be departing them next winter. The Boston Red Sox just agreed to a six-year, $170 million contract extension with Garrett Crochet, and Drew Koch of Climbing Tal’s Hill feels that Crochet’s deal mean’s “Houston’s hope of retaining Valdez is officially extinguished.

” Considering that Crochet has only been a starting pitcher for one full season (barely) and just landed such a hefty contract, Valdez will surely land a megadeal, at least from an average annual value perspective. It should be noted that Valdez is 31 years old, so he probably won’t be landing a six-year pact like the 25-year-old Crochet. However, even if he only secures a three-year contract, the Astros will likely have difficulty matching the annual money.



“The Astros have watched players like George Springer, Carlos Correa, and most recently Alex Bregman enter the free agent market and never return,” added Koch. “Houston even made a somewhat competitive offer for Bregman this past offseason, but the Red Sox obliterated that after handing Bregman a three-year, $120 million deal.” Valdez broke into the big leagues with the Astros in 2018 and became a full-time starter in 2021.

He earned back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023, leading the American League with 201.1 innings pitched in the former campaign. Last year, the Dominican native went 15-7 with a 2.

91 ERA, allowing 140 hits while registering 169 strikeouts over 176.1 frames. He owns a lifetime 3.

28 ERA across 158 outings and 136 starts. Houston has consistently been near the top of the majors in payroll, ranking second as recently as 2023. This year, however, the Astros have dipped to ninth.

It’s possible that they continue to fall in that category as more time passes. This article first appeared on Viral Sports News and was syndicated with permission..