Framber Valdez confirms fans' fears about his possible future with Astros

With all of the moves that the Houston Astros have made this offseason and how many changes the roster has undergone, it is easy to overlook what could be in store for the future. While popular extension candidates like Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman are now playing elsewhere, there is still the matter of what to do with Framber Valdez after the 2025 season.

Entering his walk year, there has been very little actual public discussion of a Valdez extension. Despite being a prime candidate to target with an extension, actual progress towards an extension hasn't really happened since Dana Brown mentioned it as a priority once he got the GM job. For many, the writing was on the wall for another star to leave Houston after the upcoming season.

Unfortunately, that does in fact appear to be coming. When asked about his future with the Astros down at spring training on Friday, Valdez indicated that not only did he think he was going to be a free agent, but he also said that Houston did not approach him this spring for any extension talks.

Framber Valdez expects to become a free agent, says Astros have not pursued extension this spring

The part of Valdez's comments that is going to get the most attention is that Houston hasn't approached him this spring about an extension, but that doesn't mean that those conversations haven't happened previously. What is more likely here is that the two sides have had discussions in the past and the Astros' position now is that the gap is too large to bridge to waste everyone's time talking heading into the season.

No one should be surprised. This offseason, the Astros floated the perennial Cy Young contender repeatedly in trade talks before they ultimately landed on trading Kyle Tucker instead. As one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball, keeping Valdez long-term given Houston's current payroll situation was always going to be an uphill battle.

That doesn't mean that the two sides couldn't circle back to each other. Extensions of the magnitude that Valdez is likely looking to command are very difficult to put together this close to a player's free agency. Valdez is going to test his market and the Astros will likely monitor it not dissimilarly to what they did with Bregman. Getting a deal done when you are bidding against the entire league is also not easy, but not impossible.

Assuming a world where Valdez does hit free agency and sign elsewhere, Houston has to get busy reinforcing their rotation. The moves they made this offseason got their lineup in a good spot for 2025 and beyond, but the starting pitching staff is looking pretty grim going forward even if you are optimistic that some of their injured guys will bounce back. How Brown and the front office tackle that problem will tell us a lot about just how long the Astros' competitive can stay open.

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