Framber Valdez Fantasy Stats

The Chicago Cubs will be "shopping in the expensive aisle" for starting pitching this offseason, and USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale reports that general managers around the league are predicting that Chicago could sign free-agent left-hander Framber Valdez and/or free-agent right-hander Dylan Cease. Free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker is expected to sign elsewhere, so the Cubs will have "plenty of money to burn." They will also be looking to make a splash after finishing second in the National League Central again to the Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago's starting rotation last year left a lot to be desired, so they will certainly look to bolster the top half of the rotation around impressive young right-hander Cade Horton. Valdez, 31, went 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 187:68 K:BB in 192 innings over 31 starts in his final year in Houston. The aging southpaw relies on pinpoint control and inducing ground balls over velocity and K's, and would be a logical replacement for Shota Imanaga.

Houston Astros southpaw Framber Valdez stymied the Athletics in an 11-5 victory on Thursday to notch his 13th win of the year. Making his final start of the regular season, Valdez surrendered one run on seven hits and two walks while tallying 10 strikeouts over seven innings. It was a much-needed rebound for Valdez, whose production has fallen off the table during the second half of the season. After recording a 2.62 earned-run average through July, he stumbled to a 5.64 ERA in August and entered Thursday with a horrid 8.27 mark in September. Valdez nevertheless logged respectable numbers across 31 starts, though, as he went 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 187:68 K:BB in 192 innings. With the Astros one game out of a playoff spot, Valdez may not pitch again in 2025.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez had his turn in the rotation pushed up to Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers. The Astros decided to scratch Luis Garcia who was going to start this game, and give the ball to Valdez. The southpaw wasn't great on the mound, but the biggest blow was a two-run home run by Jake Burger in the sixth inning. He tossed seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five batters in the loss. Valdez has been inconsistent on the mound lately, so fantasy managers will take this performance even if it wasn't an elite outing.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez will make the start against the Texas Rangers on Sunday. Previously, Luis Garcia was scheduled to start, but will have his outing pushed back. Now, Valdez is slated to take the mound for this important divisional matchup. Garica isn't dealing with an injury, so this move was either matchup related or to give Garcia extra rest. The expectation is that Garcia will move into Valdez spot in the rotation which was Tuesday versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.

The Houston Astros have made a notable change to their rotation for Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners. They'll start All-Star right-hander Hunter Brown instead of lefty Framber Valdez for the series finale, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Valdez was listed as the starter for Sunday when pitching probables came out Thursday. However, Astros manager Joe Espada said the team was always planning on starting Brown to give Valdez extra rest. The 31-year-old standout will toe the rubber early next week in a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez blanked the Chicago Cubs over six innings of work in Sunday's 2-0 home win. He scattered five hits, walked two, and fanned six to improve to 9-4 through 17 starts. The 31-year-old yielded four earned runs to the White Sox back on May 2, but hasn't allowed more than three in the ten appearances since, and recorded nary a loss in that time frame. Valdez's 2.72 ERA is more than a full run lower than his expected one heading into this outing (3.83). However, regression shouldn't hit him too hard when the time comes, according to a 3.18 xFIP. He'll next toe the rubber later this week against the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (7-4) mowed down the Chicago White Sox on Thursday to collect his seventh win of the season. The Astros pulled out a 4-3 victory thanks in large part to Valdez, who struck out 12 over five innings of two-run ball. He scattered seven hits, issued just one walk, and generated 20 whiffs during the 95-pitch outing. Fresh off back-to-back starts of double-digit strikeouts, the 31-year-old boasts a 96:28 K:BB and a 3.10 ERA over 90 frames. Valdez has logged seven straight quality starts and will attempt to extend that streak Wednesday against the Athletics.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (6-4) had a smash spot on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and made the most of it. He worked seven innings, allowed four hits, two earned runs, walked three, and struck out 11 batters. The 11 strike outs were the most he's had in any start this season, and he lowered his season WHIP to 1.06 and ERA to 3.07. Valdez has now logged six consecutive quality starts and remains one of the top arms to deploy every week for fantasy managers. Next up for Valdez is another dream matchup against the Chicago White Sox, scheduled for next Wednesday. Fantasy managers can roll him out with confidence next week, as the White Sox have a bottom-five offense in all of MLB.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez allowed just one run while pitching a complete game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. He earned the win as Houston snuck by with a 2-1 victory. In addition to the one earned run over nine innings of work, Valdez's final line included three hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts. He improved to 5-4 on the year and saw his strikeout rate dip ever slightly to 8.42 K/9. Even more impressive are his 2.77 BB/9 and 56.5 percent ground ball rate. Very few MLB pitchers have demonstrated as much length as Valdez, who now has at least one complete game in each of the last five seasons. He remains a dependable option for the Astros and fantasy managers.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez had a strong start on Sunday, posting seven innings of three-run ball in a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers. Valdez allowed six hits and a walk while striking out eight in a solid performance. It was the third start in a row of seven-plus innings for the lefty, who appears to have found his stuff again after a few rough starts early in the season. He now has a 3-4 record with a 3.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 59 strikeouts over 63 IP. While the numbers don't fly off the page, Valdez is one of the best bets for volume in all of baseball while maintaining solid ratios and strikeouts, making him an elite option in fantasy.