Reveal of qualifying offer amount just made Framber Valdez's fate with Astros official

It's always been questionable as to whether or not the Houston Astros would have the funds (or the desire to spend the necessary funds) to keep Framber Valdez in Houston for the long haul. The 31-year-old lefty is primed for a big payday, and as the best starter to hit the free agent market, he'll have no shortage of suitors.

While there may have been a sliver of hope, his childish "cross-up" of catcher Cesar Salazar after surrendering a grand slam more or less confirmed that a divorce is inevitable. Now, after a leak uncovered by the NY Post, the Astros' offseason plan for Valdez is abundantly clear, and it involves slapping the mercurial southpaw with the $22 million qualifying offer.

The Astros' Framber Valdez offseason strategy should be painfully obvious after the qualifying offer amount leaked

Valdez has not only worn out his welcome in Houston, but his poor performance down the stretch has been a major contributing factor to the Astros letting the division crown slip away. He followed up a brutal performance in August when he posted a brutal 5.64 ERA with an even more ghastly September that has seen him author an 8.27 mark.

All of this while the Astros continue to reel from injuries that have decimated both their lineup and their rotation. Now that the cat is out of the bag regarding the qualifying offer price tag, Houston's strategy with Valdez should be crystal clear as soon as the offseason rolls around.

Houston would be wise to slap Valdez with the qualifying offer, which has risen by nearly a million dollars versus last year's $21.05 million number. While that is a lot of money, it won't be nearly enough to convince Valdez to accept, and his declining it is exactly what the Astros want.

Moving forward, any team that signs him after rejecting the qualifying offer will be forced to relinquish draft pick(s) to the Astros, something the club desperately needs to rebuild its barren farm system. This also fits perfectly with their desire to retool on the fly while continuing to contend for a playoff spot annually.

Making the strategy even sweeter, if history has taught us anything, having the qualifying offer attached is a surefire way to torpedo a starting pitcher's market, and Valdez will likely have to accept much less than what he was hoping for.

Having the opportunity to spite the soon-to-be former ace is, of course, secondary. Houston will still need to find a way to replace him in the rotation, and at a cheaper cost, but the combination of getting draft assets while giving Framber a headache for a change is just too sweet to pass up.

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