Houston Astros Will Now 'Listen' to Trade Offers for Framber Valdez

After trading Kyle Tucker, the Houston Astros seemingly are willing to hear some offers for their ace Framber Valdez.

Oct 1, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez (59) walks off the mount in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

There have been blockbuster moves already made this offseason, but when it comes to the trade market, there might not be a more notable one for the rest of the winter than what the Houston Astros just did.

In a surprising twist, they decided to deal their superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for third baseman Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski, and star prospect Cam Smith.

Considering they likely wouldn't have been able to retain Tucker when he hits free agency after the upcoming campaign, getting back this type of return is something that sets themselves up for success immediately and in the long-term future.

Still, it's always shocking to see a team that has their sights on winning the World Series ship out one of their best players, and that's exactly what the Astros did.

But, Houston might not be done making trades.

Earlier at the Winter Meetings, general manager Dana Brown stated they were willing to listen to offers for all of their players, and after that amounted to Tucker being moved, the next question becomes if they could deal their ace Framber Valdez with his contract situation being the exact same as their star outfielder's.

The Astros aren't changing their stance on that front, even after making one blockbuster trade.

"We're not aggressively trying to move him, but we'll listen," Brown said per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle.

That goes in line with what Houston has said throughout this entire process, and when it comes to Valdez in particular, this was the same stance they took last offseason when they were looking at ways to improve their roster.

Just because they're listening, though, doesn't mean a deal is imminent.

"If you ask me if (I) think we're going to trade Valdez, I don't think we're trading Valdez. I think he's (a) pillar, and it's really tough to keep a rotation intact, and we really feel like he's going to be an important one in our rotation," the general manager added.

When this entire thing began, the original thought was Valdez was the more expendable one than Tucker based on the struggles in the Astros' outfield from an offensive standpoint last year and the strength of the rotation going forward.

However, it's hard to employ a Cy Young-caliber arm for the amount of money the star left-hander will be under in 2025, so with Houston looking to win the World Series again, keeping him around could be paramount to achieving that goal.

Like what just took place with Tucker, the Astros likely will have to be blown away if they are going to trade their ace, so it's very likely he's the Opening Day starter when that time comes.