MLB Insider Says Teams 'Monitoring' Astros Trading Their Ace This Offseason

Something that would definitely shake things up this offseason is if the Houston Astros traded their ace, which one MLB insider says could happen.

Well, the offseason could get a whole lot more interesting for the Houston Astros if this report comes to fruition.

As the front office navigates how to supplement this roster with pieces that help them win now, they also are looking at how to build their entire organization for the future.

General manager Dana Brown comes from the Atlanta Braves where they have an emphasis on, not only having a top-level MLB team, but also having a strong pipeline.

While the Astros have had much more success than the Braves during the past decade, Atlanta is set up to succeed in the future while Houston's could be fleeting.

That's one of the reasons why Brown was hired. To rebuild their pipeline.

So, when Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic put out a piece that said the Astros might trade their ace Framber Valdez this offseason, that carries much more weight than it would have in years past.

"Executives from two clubs indicated this week that their teams are monitoring the possibility of the Astros trading left-hander Framber Valdez," he reports.

Rosenthal goes into detail about how that might come to fruition as well considering the current payroll situation that Houston is facing.

"The Astros’ luxury-tax payroll, according to Fangraphs, currently stands at $237.4 million, slightly above the first threshold. Under owner Jim Crane, the team has exceeded the threshold only once ... Valdez, 30, is projected to earn $12.1 million in arbitration and become a free agent after the 2025 season. Trading him could provide a boost to the Astros’ farm system, which Baseball America ranked 27th in its midseason organization rankings," he writes.

Now that is something to think about.

Losing Valdez would be a major hit to the team this season, but could also substantially help them in the future.

Hunter Brown and J.P. France proved they could be solid starters during their rookie years in 2023. The Astros also get back Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia, so the loss overall might not be as difficult to overcome.

Maybe the front office uses this opportunity to trade Valdez and get back some coveted prospects.

That would be shocking, but with how things are currently set up financially and organizationally, it could be something that Houston is looking to do this offseason.