Astros Should Keep Framber Valdez Amid MLB Trade Rumors to Preserve Rotation Depth

Could Framber Valdez really be a trade chip for the Houston Astros?

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported, "Executives from two clubs indicated this week that their teams are monitoring the possibility of the Astros trading left-hander Framber Valdez."

The Astros have several contracts in need of extensions, including Valdez, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve and according to Rosenthal, dealing their ace pitcher could provide them the opportunity to bolster their farm system.

That may be true, but in a game that can turn on a single pitch, the idea that the organization would be entertaining letting Valdez go in favor of retaining bats suggests it watched the Texas Rangers hit their way to a world title in 2023 and believe that to be the model moving forward.

The Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Baltimore Orioles were the three best teams in baseball in the regular season and watched their dreams of a World Series evaporate in the divisional round of the playoffs amid poor pitching performances, though, seemingly accentuating the significance of quality arms in the starting rotation.

Valdez finished last season with a 3.45 ERA, a WHIP of 1.126, and 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He was good for 3.2 wins above replacement and tallied the most strikeouts in a single season of his career with 200.

Even in what may have been considered a "down" year, Valdez was better than most and earned both an All-Star bid and finished ninth in Cy Young voting. He has been one of the best pitchers in the game over the last three seasons and though the Astros may be content with allowing Justin Verlander to be their ace in 2024, and seeing what they can get in return for Valdez, but that would be a mistake.

Verlander saw his ERA rise in Houston after a midseason trade from the Mets (3.15 to 3.31) and his innings-pitched drop from 94 to 68.

He still has stuff and can contribute, but expecting him to be a reliable and quality starter when you have a guy in Valdez who went 11-6 and 17-6 in 2021 and 2022 and has been a big part of establishing the Astros as the closest thing to a modern dynasty as we have, is a mistake.

Keep Valdez, pair him with Verlander, and let them lead the rotation in pursuit of another World Series. If money is the problem, letting Bregman or Tucker go and restocking the farm system is the better route.

We have seen players get hot and produce offense but pitching is the most tried and true asset in postseason baseball and essentially giving it away is not a recipe for victory.