Framber Valdez's rumored landing spot the poetic justice Astros fans have been begging for

For the Houston Astros, Framber Valdez's exit almost came as a relief. While he was a tremendous asset on the mound for Houston for eight seasons, Valdez was also a bit of a headache, and keeping him around would require a significant payroll investment that Houston can't really afford under their current constraints. Any talk of reunion with the Astros has been a pipe dream for a while now, but Valdez's next team remains an open question.

Since the start of the offseason, the Orioles have been connected to Valdez over and over again and were the betting favorites as a result. However, some other teams have managed to squeeze their way into the rumor mill, but none were as surprising as the Pirates, who are aggressively pursuing Valdez right now, according to a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Framber Valdez ending up with the Pirates would be high comedy for Astros fans

While the Astros are far from perfect as an organization, you will struggle to find a franchise dumpster fire that compares to how the Pirates are run, with the notable exceptions of the Rockies and maybe the Angels. Pittsburgh is an improved team this offseason, and the rotation would be scary talented with Valdez, but it would also invite a potentially volatile clubhouse presence into a situation with the Pirates that doesn't need any help to be dysfunctional.

That said, good for the Pirates. It is likely that this rumor will die like their other free agent pursuits this offseason, but it would be great for the game if the Pirates were relevant again and not just "the team that Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin got stuck with."

However, don't expect Astros fans to cry tears for Valdez or the Pirates if this union happens and doesn't end well. Houston had a front row seat to Valdez's demeanor and financial demands that didn't reflect reality. It is going to be nice to see another team have to deal with him as well, even though the loss of talent from the roster is very real.