Astros Free Agency Update: Framber Valdez declaration begins uneasy offseason

The Major League Baseball offseason has arrived after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday night. This week will see teams clear several housekeeping items from their to-do list, and that also means players declaring for free agency. It's a procedural move for veterans with expiring contracts, and Houston Astros' starting pitcher Framber Valdez was among the players to declare free agency on Sunday.

Joining Valdez from the Astros roster in becoming a free agent this week are catcher Victor Caratini, relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel, and infielder Brendan Rodgers. More names could join that list later this month, depending on the Astros' no-tender decisions, but for now, it's a relatively small list of players.

Players becoming free agents this week are eligible to sign with a new team as of November 6. Until then, the Astros have an exclusive negotiating window with their own free agents, but it would seem that they will let the market set before making moves of consequence.

The Astros have already signed former first-round pick Nate Pearson to a Major League contract this offseason, but will have a significant void in their rotation if Valdez leaves.

Framber Valdez headlines Astros players hitting free agency

The expectation entering the offseason, as it was during the regular season, is that Valdez will command a contract that views him as the top free agent starting pitcher on the market this offseason. In a world where his market bottoms out, the Astros could remain involved in the sweepstakes, but that isn't the likeliest of all scenarios.

Chances are the Astros won't have a high level of interest in re-signing Rodgers or Kimbrel. Rodgers spent a healthy amount of his only season with the Astros on the IL, and Kimbrel was only signed at the end of the season because of the injury to Josh Hader.

Re-signing Caratini should be a priority for the Astros this offseason. Caratini, as a switch-hitter, brings balance to the position-player side of Houston's roster and could be a replacement for Yainer Diaz if he is traded this winter.