Framber Valdez free agency predictions have Astros ace potentially heading to AL East

It’s hard to imagine where the Houston Astros would be this year without Framber Valdez. He may not get the same attention as some of the other star pitchers in the American League, but he’s the epitome of a consistent starter who can go out and keep his team in it every time he takes the mound. 

But there’s a chance that consistency could benefit another team next year as he makes his first foray into free agency. And, according to one MLB insider, it looks like there’s a chance his next destination could be in the American League. 

Framber Valdez free agency predictions have Astros ace potentially heading to AL East

In a recent story for MLB.com, insider Mark Feinsand outlined some potential suitors for the top free agents in this winter’s class, with Valdez coming in as the No. 4 free agent this coming offseason behind old friends Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. 

“There are some high-end starting pitchers on the market this winter, but none with the same track record as Valdez, who has a 3.16 ERA over 148 games since becoming a full-time starter in 2020. Valdez is having a strong season (11-7, 3.32 ERA in 25 starts and 157 1/3 innings) in his walk year, and he’s pitched in the postseason in each of the past five years, including a dominant four-start stretch in 2022 (3-0, 1.44 ERA) during the Astros’ World Series title run. A two-time All-MLB Team selection, the lefty should land a high AAV (average annual value) to lead someone’s rotation, though his age makes the length of the deal a bit less certain,” Feinsand wrote, before putting the Astros, Blue Jays and Orioles as three potential fits. 

Valdez’s fit with the Astros is obvious, as fans in Houston have spent plenty of time seeing what he brings to the table. Valdez has posted a 3.28 ERA in 1,053 innings across his eight seasons with the Astros and served as the frontline ace when they won the World Series in 2022. 

It’s not hard to figure out how he could help the Orioles and Blue Jays as well, however. The Blue Jays have been one of the American League’s best teams this year, but their starting rotation is filled with older starters who could (and perhaps should) be gone sometime in the next two years. 

While they added Shane Bieber at this year’s trade deadline, he’s also destined to be a free agent in the offseason, so they’ll have multiple holes to fill. Enter Valdez, who is 31 and a proven veteran. The Blue Jays spent a lot of money on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s extension this April, and Valdez would be the perfect pitcher to pair with him. 

The Orioles, on the other hand, need a little bit of everything. They entered play on Thursday with a worse record than the Athletics (who could have seen that coming), and have a lot of question marks about their rotation next year. Getting Kyle Bradish has helped, but adding Valdez would give them the frontline starter they have sorely missed.

For what it’s worth, the Astros should also be willing to overpay for Valdez. They'll still have Hunter Brown next year, but the rest of the rotation is filled with question marks, and Valdez would be an obvious answer to that problem. 

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