Astros Veteran Named Top Starting Pitcher in Loaded Upcoming Free Agency Class

The Houston Astros have many players set to hit free agency this year, and one ranks as the best available starting pitcher on the market.

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The Houston Astros have missed the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade, and now, they have a ton of decisions to make regarding their pending free agents and how they want to handle the names set to hit the open market.

Among those is starting pitcher Framber Valdez, who had a pretty tough stretch of pitching late in the 2025 season, and now will look to get an opportunity for a large contract.

Among the best options on the market this winter, he is considered one of the premier assets for teams to take a look at as the postseason runs its course. Recently, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly put together a list of the top 10 starting pitchers available this offseason, and at the top was Astros starter Framber Valdez.

Why Was Valdez Ranked as Their Best Starting Pitcher Available?

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The reasoning behind making Valdez the top option in a class of starting pitchers that is relatively strong was an intriguing one, with Kelly providing the following statement on the list:

"Since the start of the 2022 season, Framber Valdez has thrown at least 175 innings in every campaign, while posting a 16.5 WAR, the fifth-best mark over that period, per FanGraphs. From that perspective, the lefty should be coveted in free agency.

"However, Valdez posted a 4.70 ERA in 16 starts after the All-Star Break. He also had the bizarre incident in September where he seemingly crossed up catcher César Salazar on purpose.

"So it was a bizarre finish to the season in Houston, and based both on that and how they've generally operated with big-money pitchers, it does kind of feel like the Astros will extend a qualifying offer to Valdez and then let him walk in free agency.

"Whether it's the Giants, Orioles, Mets or another pitching-needy team, Valdez should get a lucrative four or five-year deal in free agency."

The discussion surrounding crossing up his catcher is an odd one, as it is relatively unclear whether or not it was intentional. Regardless, it certainly wasn't a good look, and he somewhat fell apart following that matchup, struggling immensely in the later portions of the year.

Did Framber Valdez purposely cross up his catcher after giving up a grand slam? 😳pic.twitter.com/uwdPPoIlth

— Covers (@Covers) September 3, 2025

Regardless, he provides immense value as a starting pitcher year in and year out, and while he may be putting up less than optimal numbers down the stretch, he should be coveted as a top free agent. The question will be whether or not Houston matches a price tag given to him, or if they even want him back following the bizarre cross-up scenario.

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