All indications point towards starting pitcher Framber Valdez departing the Houston Astros in free agency this offseason.
The best way to replace a pitcher of his caliber is through a trade for a starter that will cost a lot less per year. For the Astros, that starter would be someone who can be the No. 2 arm in the rotation behind Hunter Brown.
"Even if he's a rental, [Freddy] Peralta would make quite a bit of sense for the Astros, who are likely to lose Framber Valdez in free agency," Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly wrote Tuesday. "Houston has quite a bit of uncertainty in their rotation after Hunter Brown, so Peralta would help to give Joe Espada's squad a little more stability among their starters."
The Brewers owe Peralta just $8 million in 2026, his final year under contract before hitting the free agent market.
Why trading for Peralta makes sense for the Astros
There's no guarantee the Brewers trade Peralta. He finished fifth in the NL Cy Young voting after going 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings.
Milwaukee should be a contender in the NL Central and the NL in general, so they may prefer to keep him in hopes of winning the organization's first World Series.
Without Valdez and a Peralta trade, the Astros would put extra reliance on relatively inexperienced arms like Jason Alexander and Ronel Blanco. Houston's trade for right-hander Mike Burrows will pay dividends if they cannot land a frontline starter.
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