Astros Could Shockingly Move Away From Valdez and Go After Another Top Arm

The Houston Astros could look to make an upgrade away from Framber Valdez this offseason.

Sep 14, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Free agency has officially begun and everyone is speculating on who could end up where. The Houston Astros have one of their own who elected free agency, starting pitcher Framber Valdez. Valdez, like a few other starters in free agency, is going to be signing a fairly big contract, but how do they compare against one another? Should the Astros look elsewhere?

The Astros spent the sixth most in baseball last season with over $232.1M, so they aren't afraid to spend money and it won't be surprising if they lock down not one, but two arms for their starting rotation. The team came up short of the playoffs when the Seattle Mariners came from behind to steal the AL West title and pitching was a part.

Now, the Astros' pitching staff was arguably one of the best in baseball last year with the second-most strikeouts as they held opponents to a .232 batting average which tied for fifth by the end of 2025. However, if Valdez decides to look elsewhere, the rotation takes a massive hit that they will need to fill, and Hunter Brown cannot be the lone man to take the mound and come through for the team.

Top Starting Pitchers in Free Agency this Year

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Valdez had a respectable season for the Astros, but he wasn't even the best pitcher they had in their rotation, as he trailed Brown across the board.

*Note* These two made the same number of starts in 2025.

• 3.66 ERA compared to Brown's 2.43
• 187 strikeouts compared to 206
• .238 opponent's batting average compared to .201
• 1.24 WHIP compared to 1.03
• 68 walks compared to 57
• 78 earned runs compared to 50
• 171 total hits compare to 133

There is an argument across the baseball community on whether signing Valdez should be a top priority, but if a team is going to pay a $150M contract of some sort, wouldn't you want them to be the best pitcher on the staff? If the Astros do decide to sign him back, he pairs nicely with the team, but they should consider other available arms as well, like Ranger Suárez.

Suárez has spent the entirety of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies primarily in a swing role, but he took on more of a responsibility starting back in 2022. He is coming off his best year yet. He went 12-8 in 26 starts with the lowest ERA since joining the rotation at 3.20.

The Astros' organization has its hands full, to say the least, this offseason, as free agency isn't the only looming factor that will massively impact their payroll, but arbitration as well. The ballclub has the second-most amount of players eligible this year (26), with key players like Brown, Jeremy Pena, and Isaac Paredes on the list.

The only lefties with an ERA+ above 125 and fewer than 80 walks over the last two seasons (min. 300 IP):

Tarik Skubal
Garrett Crochet
Chris Sale
Ranger Suárez 👀

Suárez enters free agency as one of the top arms on the market! pic.twitter.com/jhliqbb9HJ

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) November 10, 2025

Management has many aspects to address to avoid missing the playoffs again and it will be interesting to see who they lock down for their starting rotation. If it isn't Valdez, then who will it be and what are they going to cost?

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