The Houston Astros took on a lot of money when they traded for Carlos Correa, absorbing $70 million of his deal to re-acquire their fan-favorite infielder. With the big money spent on Correa, the Astros will have to decide whether to keep Framber Valdez or not.
He's a free agent after the 2025 season, and with starting pitchers being hard to come by, the Astros would likely have to spend a lot to keep the right-hander in Houston. But, how much would the Astros have to spend?
According to Spotrac.com's MLB Market Values, Valdez got a huge contract update, which would almost certainly price out the Astros, especially after the cross-up controversy with catcher Cesar Salazar.
Framber Valdez Gets $204 Million Contract Update
According to Spotrac, Valdez is projected to earn $204 million in a free agent deal over six seasons in a huge deal that is behind only former Astro Kyle Tucker's $498 million free agent evaluation.
What makes this projection so interesting is that Valdez will be 32 years old at the start of his new deal, which, if this projection were to hold, would keep him through his age-38 season.
Not only that, but Valdez would be making a large sum of money during that time, too, averaging $34 million per season. He's been a solid pitcher in his career, but after the recent cross-up incident, there's speculation he might not make as much as he'd make without it.
MORE: Astros' Yordan Alvarez ranks amongst all-time greats in this impressive stat
After giving up a Grand Slam to Trent Grisham of the New York Yankees, Valdez threw a fastball that surprised catcher Cesar Salazar, hitting him in the chest. Many around the baseball world criticized Valdez for this moment and the lack of empathy shown after crossing up his catcher.
Some reports suggest that teams have lowered their evaluation of Valdez, or even taken him off their free agent board entirely due to this incident. But, Spotrac projects the Astros veteran to still make a ton of money this winter, potentially on a deal around $204 million.
Valdez has a 3.42 ERA this season with a 12-9 record across 28 starts. He's a two-time All-Star and is coming off a 2.91 ERA season in 2024, across 28 starts.
In the postseason, Valdez has a 4.34 career ERA, with his 1.44 ERA in 2022 helping the Astros win the World Series. Valdez is a good pitcher, but he's a little older and comes with the cross-up controversy. Despite that, he's still projected to make $204 million this winter, the second-largest projected deal among all free agents.
MORE MLB NEWS:
- Phillies get good news on potential Kyle Schwarber free agent market
- Phillies' Kyle Schwarber receives $35 million free agent prediction
- Cubs' legend shares insights on Pete Crow-Armstrong's performance and potential
- Guardians' Jose Ramirez on pace to join Hank Aaron in incredible MLB history
- Cardinals' outfielder's job may be in jeopardy if poor play continues
- Yankees' Aaron Judge responds to arm strength concerns after return to outfield