Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez turned in his second disappointing start of the season in Monday's 8-3 loss to the Cardinals. Valdez pitched four innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and a walk with three strikeouts. The 31-year-old has been uncharacteristically inconsistent in his first four starts of the season, allowing no combined runs in two of them and 11 combined earned runs in his other two. Overall, he is now 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA, a 9.82 K/9 rate, and a 3.27 BB/9 rate in 22 IP. Valdez's next matchup will be a tough one against the Padres. While fantasy managers may have drafted Valdez as high as their rotation ace, they may consider sitting him if they have other options, at least in roto leagues.
Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (illness) will make his scheduled start on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park against the division-rival Seattle Mariners. It was unclear over the weekend whether Valdez would be able to make his start this week while he was dealing with fatigue and a sore throat, but the 31-year-old veteran southpaw will toe the rubber and should be started in single-year fantasy leagues. Valdez looked great on Opening Day on March 27 against the New York Mets, tossing seven scoreless innings in a win with two walks and four strikeouts. However, he gave up five earned runs while walking four and striking out nine in five innings for a loss against the San Francisco Giants his last time out on April 2. Fantasy managers will be hoping for an outing more along the lines of his season debut now that he's apparently feeling better.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (illness) might not be available for his next turn in the rotation, which is on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners. Astros manager Joe Espada said the team is listing their starters for Tuesday and Wednesday as TBA for now. General manager Dana Brown said Valdez is dealing with some fatigue and a sore throat. It sounds like the Astros are going to wait and see how Valdez feels in a day or two before making a final decision on his status. Hunter Brown is scheduled to take the mound on Wednesday, but he could see his start pushed back depending on what happens with Valdez. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update in a day or so.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez was dominant on Thursday, tossing seven shutout frames while striking out four. There was never any real danger for the ace, as he scattered four hits and two walks throughout the game. He is coming off of a 2024 season where he posted a 2.91 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 169 strikeouts in 176 innings. He may not give you the strikeout upside of some other aces, but his reputation as a workhorse pitcher is becoming a rare occurrence in today's game. He is a true innings-eater who will provide great ratios as a matchup-proof option for fantasy.
Framber Valdez Will Start For Astros On Opening Day
Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez has been named the team's Opening Day starter on March 27 against the New York Mets, according to manager Joe Espada. Because Valdez doesn't have the high-end strikeout upside that other aces do, he's merely a low-end fantasy ace/high-end No. 2 option, and the 31-year-old Dominican southpaw will have a tough task on his hands in his first start of 2025. He makes up for his lack of strikeouts with an elite ability to induce weak contact, mainly in the form of ground balls. The two-time All-Star and former World Series champion went 15-7 in 2024 with a sharp 2.91 ERA (3.25 FIP) and a 1.11 WHIP with 169 strikeouts and 55 walks in 176 1/3 innings over his 28 regular-season starts. The veteran southpaw has also looked good this spring with a 2.53 ERA in his 10 2/3 innings, but Valdez only has one season of 200-plus K's.
Astros Haven't Approached Framber Valdez About Contract Extension
Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez said the team has not approached him or his agent yet about a contract extension, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome. Rome adds that it would probably be unwise for Valdez to consider signing any extension the Astros might offer him during spring training. The 31-year-old southpaw is in his final year of club control in 2025 and is scheduled to make $18 million this year. If he hits the open market next winter, which appears likely right now, Valdez should have no shortage of offers from other organizations after serving as Houston's ace the last three years. The Dominican hurler was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023 and had a 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB in 28 starts in 2024. There's a lot to like about Valdez, but his lower strikeout rate for an ace makes him more of a low-end No. 1 fantasy starter/high-end No. 2 than a high-end fantasy ace.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Houston Astros and starting pitcher Framber Valdez have agreed to a one-year contract worth $18 million to avoid arbitration. The southpaw is expected to be among the top free agents following the 2025 season. Last summer, the 31-year-old posted a 2.91 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP across 176 1/3 innings of work. Valdez has made at least 28 starts over the past three seasons and logged at least 175 innings in each campaign. Last summer, Valdez generated a stellar 61.7% ground-ball rate, which placed him in the 99th percentile among qualified pitchers. He also limited hard contact with an excellent 5.3% barrel rate. Despite his modest strikeout production, Valdez remains one of the safest pitchers in fantasy baseball, given his ability to log a high total of innings each year and produce strong ratios.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez had another strong outing in Friday's 8-0 victory over the Diamondbacks, tossing seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out seven on the way to picking up his 14th win of the season. The southpaw had a 1.59 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, and a 24.0% K-BB% over five starts in August and looks to have carried that momentum right on into September with his 15th quality start of the year. The 30-year-old now has a 2.97 ERA (3.21 FIP), 1.09 WHIP, and a 16.5% K-BB% in 2024. The 2x All-Star gets a favorable matchup his next time out when he faces the Athletics at home next Thursday.
Framber Valdez Tosses Seven Hitless Innings In No-Decision
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez threw seven innings of a no-hit baseball in Friday's 3-2 victory over the Royals, allowing three walks and a hit batsman while striking out seven, but did not factor into the decision. The lefty was at 98 pitches so he would have gone well over his season-high pitch count had Joe Espada allowed him to stay in the game for the final two innings. Valdez has been great in August, even coming within one out away from a no-hitter earlier this month, posting a 1.59 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, and a 24.0% K-BB% over five starts. The 30-year-old has been good overall as well, logging a 13-6 record with a 3.11 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 16.6% K-BB%. His next start will come next weekend at home against the Diamondbacks.
Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez turned in a dominant outing Sunday in the team's 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. The left-hander shut out Chicago over seven innings with three hits and nine strikeouts to win his eighth straight decision. Valdez has been red hot and has lowered his ERA to 3.20 on the season with a 1.14 WHIP and a 13-5 record. The 30-year-old is dialed in lately and continues to be an excellent fantasy option.
Framber Valdez
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