Getty New York Mets owner Steve Cohen could opt to secure an ace for the future by trading for Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez
Roughly one quarter into the MLB season, the New York Mets are teetering between playoff contention and a reset for next season, currently sitting well outside of the National League Wild Card race.
However, if the Mets are going to make a push that gets them back into contention, it seems like they will need to add some help to the pitching staff. The team has a middling 3.81 ERA so far, with franchise ace Kodai Senga still working his way back from an injury that has kept him off the mound since Spring Training.
Outlining the starting pitchers that the Mets should target in potential trades, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report named Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez as their top “blockbuster target.”
“The logical move for the Mets would be to target pitchers who can help them beyond the 2024 season, similar to when the Seattle Mariners acquired Luis Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds during a season when they missed the playoffs,” Reuter noted. “Valdez, 30, is a proven frontline starter with a terrific postseason track record, and he would slot alongside Kodai Senga at the top of the Mets rotation in 2025 and beyond if the team could find a way to nail down a post-trade extension.”
The New York Mets Might See Framber Valdez as Their Ace of the Future
A willingness to commit to that potential extension could be the key to a deal that brings Valdez to New York.
The pitcher is currently on a one-year, $12.1 million deal with the Astros in his third year of arbitration and is set to hit free agency after the 2025 season. He’s been projected for a significant payday via extension given his premier resume, which includes All-Star bids in 2022 and 2023, three seasons of Cy Young Award votes and a World Series championship in 2022.
“Including the postseason, only Aaron Nola has thrown more innings over the past two years than Valdez,” Tim Britton noted for The Athletic, as he projected a five-year, $105 million extension for Valdez before the season started.
Valdez saw a brief stint on the injured list this season but looked sharp in his return and has a 2.95 ERA and 31 strikeouts in six total starts so far this year. Over a seven-year big-league career, he’s maintained a 3.38 ERA with 56 career wins.
The Houston Astros Could Be Open to Trading Framber Valdez to the New York Mets
If the Mets feel like Valdez can lead their rotation along with Senga well into the future, acquiring him now could make sense. But that also depends on the Astros deciding to trade him, which is not quite guaranteed.
The Astros have opened the year to a disappointing 18-25 record and have some notable players that might become free agents at the end of the year, including Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander. If they opt to transition away from their biggest stars and focus on rebuilding, Valdez and teammate Kyle Tucker might be on the trade block as well.
“If the Astros continue to struggle despite facing an easier schedule, they might have to do something unthinkable when they entered this season and start selling off some of their pieces,” Brad Wakai wrote for Inside The Astros. “While they’re at it, they might also see what they can get for other high-profile players like Framber Valdez and Kyle Tucker… Houston was already reportedly shopping their ace in the offseason.”