Framber Valdez is expecting to reach free agency following the 2025 campaign after not receiving any contract offers from the Houston Astros this spring.
"Yes, I think so," Valdez said Friday of testing free agency, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome.
Valdez is under contract for $18 million this season after avoiding arbitration with the Astros in January.
The 31-year-old has spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Astros, making a pair of All-Star appearances. He helped the club win the 2022 World Series after posting a 3-0 record and a sparkling 1.44 ERA in four postseason starts.
Valdez enjoyed another productive season in 2024, going 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 169 strikeouts across 176 1/3 innings.
The left-hander ranks sixth among all MLB starting pitchers in ERA (3.06) and fWAR (12.4) since the start of the 2022 season.
Valdez is expected to lead an Astros rotation that also includes Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco, Spencer Arrighetti, and Hayden Wesneski.
