Framber Valdez throws cold water on Astros' biggest potential 2025 change

One of the biggest, and frankly oddest, revelations to hit the newswire this offseason has been the Houston Astros desire to move Jose Altuve from second base to the outfield. While the plan itself has many detractors, there's certainly merit behind the idea when you dig into it a bit.

Altuve has been a below-average defender at the keystone for the past few seasons and Houston has some young, up-and-coming infielders who'll need a place to play in the future. Brice Matthews and Cam Smith could both debut in 2025 and they'll soon need a position to call home.

The idea of moving Altuve to the outfield gained steam a couple weeks back after Houston re-entered the Alex Bregman sweepstakes. Of course those hopes were dashed late on Wednesday after the two-time All-Star inked an absurd three-year, $120 million contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Framber Valdez throws cold water on Astros' idea of moving Jose Altuve to left field

But while Astros GM Dana Brown has been effusive in the team's plans to give Altuve some reps in the outfield this spring, left-handed starter Framber Valdez doesn't believe it. According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, when asked about the possibility of Altuve moving form the infield dirt to the outfield grass, Valdez said, “I don’t think it’s going to happen. That’s just a lot of talk…second base or nothing.” And all the Houston faithful said, "Amen!"

While it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Altuve to shag some fly balls in the outfield over the next couple of weeks, the former MVP belongs at second base. Shifting Altuve to left field would necessitate several corresponding moves, and there's no guarantee it would improve the overall team defense despite Altuve's shortcomings at second as he ages.

Astros fans should probably lean into what Valdez said and expect to see Altuve lined up at second base on Opening Day. The Astros recently brought back Ben Gamel, and he's expected to be contention for the vacancy left in the outfield after trading away Kyle Tucker. And if Houston is looking to move an infielder to the outfield, perhaps it'll be Zach Dezenzo or they could just give top prospect Jacob Melton a real shot at the job.

More Houston Astros News and Rumors