This team's playoff collapse just made Astros' starter Framber Valdez a perfect fit

Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez is on his way out of Space City. While Houston will likely extend a qualifying offer to their sterling left-hander in a few weeks, the odds of Valdez re-signing with the Astros is slim to none. He'll enter the upcoming offseason as one of the top arms on the open market, and Valdez feels like the perfect fit for the New York Mets.

While the Astros fell apart down the stretch, the Mets' collapse was one of the most confounding things to ever happen to a World Series contender. Prior to the 2025 season, the Mets made free agent splash after free agent splash, and at one point, led their division by 21 games.

But one area that New York failed to address — at least in a meaningful way — last offseason, was the starting rotation. They signed Clay Holmes (a career-reliever) away from the New York Yankees, re-signed Sean Manaea to three-year pact, and inked Frankie Montas to a three-year deal. None of those moves worked out how New York had planned, and adding a frontline starter will be at the top of David Stearns shopping list this winter.

Mets' playoff collapse just made Astros' starter Framber Valdez a perfect fit for them

New York could look to acquire an upgrade for their rotation through a trade, but Mets' owner Steve Cohen has proven time and time again that money is no object for him. New York shelled out nearly $800 million in order to bring Juan Soto to Queens, so the $300 million (or thereabouts) that it'll take to sign Valdez will be little more than a drop in the bucket for Cohen and the Mets.

If Valdez rejects the qualifying offer that Houston is sure to extend — which he should and will — the Astros will receive draft compensation in the form of an extra pick next summer.

Some team is going to overpay Valdez this winter, and the Mets feel like as good a bet as anyone. Before his final 10 starts of the season, Valdez seemed like a shoo-in to create a bidding war this offseason. But after going 2-7 with a 6.05 ERA during the final two months of the season, few teams will be as willing to risk big-money to bring Valdez into the fold. The Mets are not one of those cautious organizations.