As the NL West race continues to heat up, two rivals could be in the market for the same pitcher.
Just Baseball’s Zach Lutz listed the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Zac Gallen and Houston Astros’ Framber Valdez as top pitchers that could be on the move at the trade deadline, and though the former would be unlikely to be sent to a division rival, Lutz wrote the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers could get into a bidding war for Valdez.
Valdez (3.07 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 84 Ks) is due to be a free agent this summer, and while the Astros currently lead the AL West, it is certainly possible a strong enough offer could be too good to pass up. With last year’s NLCS participants each needing pitching help, the Astros could easily get an offer that helps them still hang around this year while avoiding losing Valdez for nothing this winter.
Here is what Lutz had to say about the two teams’ potential interest in Valdez: “As for Valdez, if Houston does sell, the Dodgers and Padres could be front-runners. Both are in contention and could use a durable left-handed starter. The Padres could use someone to complement Michael King and help offset Dylan Cease’s inconsistency. The Dodgers’ pitching injuries have been well-documented, and question marks in the current rotation behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto could inspire a front office motivated to repeat as champions. A Padres-Dodgers bidding war for Valdez would be electric, and it wouldn’t be the first time those clubs clashed at the deadline.”
Any victory the Padres can get over the Dodgers would be monumental, and this would be no different.