Red Sox just priced Framber Valdez out of Astros' market with Garrett Crochet deal

Once the 2025 season was underway, there was little hope that the Houston Astros and Framber Valdez would agree to a contract extension. But after Monday's announcement that the Boston Red Sox and Garrett Crochet agreed to a six-year, $170 million deal, Houston's hope of retaining Valdez is officially extinguished.

The Red Sox swung a big trade this offseason for the former Chicago White Sox ace. Crochet was on the trade block last summer, but no team was willing to meet the South Sider's demands. Boston stepped up this past winter, and paid a hefty price tag to secure one of the best young lefties in the game.

Red Sox just priced Framber Valdez out of Astros' market with Garrett Crochet deal

The Red Sox were wise to lock up Crochet when they did, and unfortunately, the Astros will find out the hard way that allowing Valdez's contract situation to boil over into the upcoming offseason will likely spell the end of his time in Houston.

Valdez, the unquestioned ace of the Astros' pitching staff, was dangled about as a possible trade candidate — just like Crochet — this past offseason. But once Houston shipped Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, the Astros front office and ownership decided they'd saved enough cash to hold on to Valdez for one more season. The southpaw will enter free agency after the 2025 season.

There's a chance that Houston could enter the bidding war for Valdez's services this coming offseason, but past practice would suggest that it's highly unlikely. The Astros have watched players like George Springer, Carlos Correa, and most recently Alex Bregman enter the free agent market and never return. Houston even made a somewhat competitive offer for Bregman this past offseason, but the Red Sox obliterated that after handing Bregman a three-year, $120 million deal.

While the Astros will likely lose Valdez to free agency this coming offseason, the Red Sox's deal with Crochet should spur Houston to reach out to both Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti about a potential contract extension. These deals only get more expensive the longer you wait, a lesson that Houston's found out the hard way.

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