MLB Insider: Houston Astros Ace Unlikely but Potential Trade Candidate

One Major League Baseball insider named this Houston Astros ace as an unlikely potential trade candidate at the deadline.

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

The Houston Astros' first few months of the 2025 season could determine the future of the organization. If the moves the Astros made during the winter don't go as planned, it wouldn't be surprising to see the front office press the panic button and head in a different direction.

Houston still has one of the worst farm systems in Major League Baseball. While that isn't always the biggest deal, the Astros haven't been willing to spend too much on free agents, meaning they'll either need to change their ways and spend or have internal options step up like they have in the past.

If there's one reason not to be too worried about Houston's future, it's that there are multiple players the front office could move on from. This will all come down to how they play, but the packages for guys like Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, and others would be more than enough to set the Astros up for a very long time.

Until that happens, there isn't much reason to worry about it. Houston isn't as good as it once was, but there's reason to believe this ball club can compete if guys play at the level they can.

If there's one player the Astros could move on from this winter or before the trade deadline, it's likely Framber Valdez. Valdez is the ace on an average Houston staff, but he's set to hit the open market next winter, and just like the Astros did with Kyle Tucker, moving Valdez could be on the table if the package is enough.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal named him a potential candidate for the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline, but added that it might be unlikely.

"The competition for starters then will be fierce, and picking off a potential free agent — the type of player who generally gets moved in July — will be tricky. From Zac Gallen to Michael King to Framber Valdez, most of the walk-year candidates play for likely contenders."

As Rosenthal alluded to, if Houston is in a position to compete for the AL West or even a Wild Card spot, moving Valdez wouldn't make much sense. The Astros have made the playoffs every season since 2017 and won the AL West in all but two of those seasons.

Valdez has been at the heart of that consistency since he joined the Major League roster.

There are many factors the front office will have to consider, but moving Valdez to the Orioles wouldn't be the worst idea. Baltimore has a loaded farm system with prospects the Astros should like if it ever got to that point.