Report: Astros do not plan to move All-Star pitcher

The Houston Astros would do anything to improve (but they won’t do that).

Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports wrote in his column Sunday that the Houston Astros do not plan to move All-Star right-hander Framber Valdez this winter. But Nightengale does note that the Astros are at least listening to offers and that over five teams have already checked in on Valdez.

The 30-year-old has made the AL All-Star team in back-to-back years and is the best arm in Houston’s rotation along with Justin Verlander. In 2023, Valdez was 12-11 with a 3.45 ERA and 200 strikeouts over 31 starts.

With Valdez seeing a large salary increase in 2023 (from $3 million to $6.8 million) and now in line for further bumps during his upcoming final two seasons of arbitration eligibility, he has been rumored as a possible trade candidate for the Astros. But for now, it sounds like Houston is content with simply gauging Valdez’s trade value (with perhaps more openness to trading this bigger name instead).