The Houston Astros are headed in the wrong direction right now. They traded Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster deal last offseason while losing Alex Bregman in free agency. This offseason, they seem bound to lose their ace, Framber Valdez, in free agency, too.
Valdez is one of the top pitchers on the market, but he’s coming off a bit of a controversial season. Valdez came under some heat after he seemingly crossed up his catcher on purpose at one point during the season. While this is purely speculation, Valdez has to answer to general managers who ask about the incident.
Either way, Zach Mentz of Cleveland.com recently projected Valdez would sign a massive six-year, $162 million deal in free agency this winter.
“A proven, durable ace who has made at least 28 starts each of the past four seasons, eclipsing 190 innings three times during that span,” Mentz wrote.
Valdez is one of the better pitchers on the market, so he should be headed for a huge deal regardless of the controversy that surrounded him down the stretch.
Almost every contending team needs to add pitching, which would further heat up Valdez’s market.
Contenders around the league could be desperate to close the gap on the Los Angeles Dodgers after they finished their second consecutive World Series run. With that in mind, Valdez could be a very coveted asset for teams like the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago Cubs.
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