Astros Should Consider Trading Cy Young Candidate to AL Giant Ahead of Free Agency

The Houston Astros enter the upcoming season seemingly still trying to compete for titles despite having lost arguably their two most important players in the same winter.

Jose Altuve is still with the team, but Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker are gone. While the Astros did make a couple of moves even after losing their stars to indicate they are still trying to win a championship in 2025 following their earliest playoff exit in the better part of a decade, it's not going to be easy.

Moving forward beyond this year it gets even tougher with more big names hitting free agency, one of them being the team's best and most accomplished starting pitcher.

Framber Valdez has finished top-ten in American League Cy Young voting for each of the last three seasons, twice being named an All-Star and overall has just been one of the most consistently reliable pitchers on the planet. Still just 31 years old and not turning 32 until next November, Valdez looks to have plenty of great baseball left in the tank.

Unfortunately for the Astros, this could mean being priced out of a potential extension, or even choosing to let him walk altogether and declining to offer him the kind of lucrative long-term deal he will likely be seeking.

All signs point to Valdez no longer being in Houston after this season, which of course begs the question why not trade him now to a needy team for a haul.

For as much as it may sting, there's a team in the American League who may be in desperate need for help in the pitching department and willing to offer up a big package for Valdez's services.

Former Astros superstar Gerrit Cole is set to miss the entire season for the New York Yankees after undergoing Tommy John surgery, putting the defending American League champions in a rough spot as they look to get back to the World Series.

Even the thought of Valdez in pinstripes is enough to make Houston fans sick to their stomachs, but in reality letting him walk for nothing after holding onto him in a year where they may not have a real chance anyway should be looked at as even worse.

There's also the school of thought that the American League is weak and the Astros should go for it one more time while keeping their talent.

It may make more sense to keep Valdez going into the season and see where you're at when the trade deadline comes along. If they are in a strong position and look primed for another run then keep him, and if things go poorly then dump him then.

In reality, there's a pretty real chance the Yankees will still be looking for pitching at that point and there will be other suitors as well, though the return may go down if it's effectively a half season rental rather than trading him now.

Seeing Valdez traded just two weeks before the season would be an absolute shock at this point, but if Houston thinks they can take advantage of a hated rival and get a deal heavily in their favor, it's at least something they should consider.

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