Houston Astros left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez will hit the open market this winter. The two-time All-Star will certainly have an interesting market ahead in his free agency.
Valdez on the season is 12-10 with a 3.59 ERA, and 173 strikeouts in 180.1 innings this year. However, recently things have not trended in Valdez’s favor.
Valdez has seen his stock drop considerably in recent weeks
Firstly, Valdez went viral recently for seemingly intentionally mixing up catcher Cesar Salazar during a start against the New York Yankees. Following the cross-up, Valdez was unapologetic for his actions, leading many to speculate that it was intended to harm Salazar.
Antics aside, Valdez has been in the midst of a brutal stretch over the last month. Since August, Valdez is pitching to a porous 6.41 ERA and a 1-6 record in eight starts. Despite this, Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Mintz ranked Valdez as the seventh-best free agent available this offseason.
“He has been good enough for long enough that somebody will overlook this rough patch and pay the man, but Framber’s stock is a downward-pointing, red arrow,” Mintz said.
The Astros are currently tied for first-place in the AL West with the Seattle Mariners (Seattle has the tie-breaker), and are clinging on to the second Wild Card spot by just one game. Houston will need Valdez to right the ship and fast, as with only a handful of games left, even so much as one good start from the left-hander could be enough to give the Astros yet another AL West division crown.