HOUSTON -- The Astros on Thursday extended a qualifying offer to free agent left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez, a move which comes as no surprise. He was one of 13 players around Major League Baseball to receive a qualifying offer.
Valdez has until 3 p.m. CT on Nov. 18 to accept or reject the Astros’ offer. Players who accept are signed to a one-year deal for the next season at the designated value ($22.025 million for 2026). Those who don't accept remain free agents, and if a new team signs one of these players, his old team receives Draft pick compensation.
The Astros received an extra pick in the 2025 MLB Draft after issuing a qualifying offer to third baseman Alex Bregman, who turned it down and signed with Boston.
Valdez, who’s a free agent for the first time entering his age-32 season, went 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA and two complete games in 31 starts for the Astros last season. He has made 121 starts since the 2022 season, making a pair of All-Star teams in that span, and he has been one of baseball’s top left-handers.
The Astros aren’t likely to make Valdez the kind of long-term offer that may be needed to keep him in Houston, considering their history of not committing to lengthy free-agent contracts. That being said, Valdez’s free-agent case should be interesting considering his bumpy 2025 season.
Through 21 starts, Valdez was 11-4 with a 2.62 ERA, striking out 141 batters over 134 innings. Valdez went 2-7 with a 6.05 ERA over his final 10 starts, striking out 46 over 58 innings. His skid coincided with Houston’s slide, which saw the Astros go 25-28, leaving them one game shy of reaching the playoffs and snapping a streak of eight straight postseason appearances.
But one pitch from Valdez stood out above all others during that stretch.
During his Sept. 2 start against the Yankees, Valdez gave up a grand slam to Trent Grisham, throwing the pitch even after catcher César Salazar motioned for him to step off the rubber. Two pitches later, Valdez fired a fastball that hit Salazar -- who had called for a curveball -- in the chest. Both players insisted it was simply a cross-up, but Valdez’s reaction after the pitch -- he turned his back on his batterymate -- was met with criticism.
The Astros will be looking to bolster their pitching staff this winter, with or without Valdez. Their rotation is anchored by American League Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown and veteran Cristian Javier, who came back from Tommy John surgery last season. Spencer Arrighetti made only seven starts in 2025 because of a pair of injuries, and Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski are expected back from Tommy John surgery at some point in the season.
Meanwhile, Lance McCullers Jr. is entering the final year of his contract after pitching around four stints on the IL in 2025, while Jason Alexander, Colton Gordon and A.J. Blubaugh emerged as rotation depth pieces, as well.