"Valdez has been one of the most durable and consistent pitchers in the sport over the past six seasons. This year's 3.66 earned run average was his highest since he established himself as a starter with the Astros in 2020. Valdez has surpassed 175 innings in four straight seasons. He sits in the 95-96 MPH range and is capable of both missing bats and keeping the ball on the ground."
"He's not going to match the eight-year, $218MM contract that Fried commanded when he was headed into his age-31 season. Valdez, who turned 32 last month, is probably looking at a five- or six-year deal at a premium annual rate. MLBTR predicted a five-year, $150MM contract that made him our #6 free agent. He's tied with Tatsuya Imai for the second-largest predicted contracts among pitchers (behind Cease, whom we had at $189MM over seven years)."
Framber Valdez has delivered durable, consistent starting pitching across six seasons, posting a 3.66 ERA this year and surpassing 175 innings in four straight campaigns. He operates in the 95–96 MPH range, generating both swings-and-misses and elite ground balls, with 23–25% strikeout rates and a 58.6% ground-ball rate this season. Valdez lacks Dylan Cease's strikeout ceiling but offers a valuable combination of whiffs and grounders similar to top lefties. At age 32, he projects to command a five- or six-year premium contract near $150MM. The Astros will receive compensatory draft compensation after he rejected a qualifying offer, and a signing club would forfeit draft and/or international bonus pool space.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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