Report: Framber Valdez, Astros Settle on $18M Contract; Pitcher Will Be 2026 MLB FA

Starting pitcher Framber Valdez and the Houston Astros agreed to a one-year, $18 million contract to avoid arbitration on Thursday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Valdez is in his final year of arbitration, meaning that he'll enter free agency at the end of the 2025 season.

Chandler Rome of The Athletic initially reported on Dec. 9 that the Astros were open to trading the 31-year-old before arbitration, but a deal never materialized.

Dana Brown, Houston's general manager, confirmed that the team was listening to offers but didn't believe that a trade would occur.

"If you're asking me if (I) think we're going to trade Valdez, I don't think we're going to trade Valdez," Brown said on Dec. 13, via Rome. "I think he's a pillar and it's really tough to keep a rotation intact."

The left-hander has developed into a key starter for the Astros, earning All-Star nods in 2022 and 2023 before finishing No. 7 in 2024 American League Cy Young Award voting.

In 28 starts last season, Valdez finished with a 15-7 record and a 2.91 ERA to go along with a career-best 1.106 WHIP. He racked up 169 strikeouts and 55 walks in 176.1 innings of work.

He particularly excelled down the stretch of the season, posting a 1.96 ERA in 12 starts following the All-Star break.

Valdez has spent all seven years of his career in Houston. He's been relatively durable despite a brief appearance on the injured list in April 2024 due to elbow issues, making at least 30 starts in each of the prior two seasons.

He'll be back with the Astros in 2025 as they attempt to earn a fifth consecutive AL West title, but he should receive plenty of interest once he hits free agency at the end of the year.