CASHING IN
Why avoiding arbitration with Framber Valdez is a sign of good things to come for Astros
Jan 16, 2023, 5:52 pm
Framber Valdez will earn $6.8 million in 2023. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
Houston Astros whiff on primary free agent target
The Houston Astros avoided arbitration with six players on Friday, one of which was first-year All-Star and left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez.
Houston and Valdez agreed to a one-year, $6.8 million deal for 2023. The Dominican Republic native is coming off his best season yet for the Astros, going 17-6 in his starts during the regular season with a 2.82 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 194 strikeouts.
His numbers only continued to be stellar in the postseason as he led the Astros to their second World Series title in franchise history. Valdez, who is 29 years old, has been with the Astros since the 2018 season, and he has shown improvement after each year.
With both sides being able to reach an agreement on a deal, unlike with right fielder Kyle Tucker and starting pitcher Cristian Javier, it could be a positive sign of things to come, and here is why.
Unlike with Tucker and Javier, who according to MLB.com both sides are just off when it comes to what fair value is following each respective player’s 2022 season, the Astros and Valdez were in agreement on what both believed was a fair deal.
Valdez’ 2023 salary will be more than double what he was paid in 2022. With the Astros losing Justin Verlander in the offseason to the New York Mets, Valdez will likely be the team’s No. 1 ace in the new season.
With both sides being on the same page, it shows one, there is mutual respect, and two, it makes it more likely that long-term negotiations could play out the same way. If Valdez and his representation can continue to be in constant communication with the Astros, while being in agreement, there will be less incentive to seek greener pastures elsewhere.
Houston has shown in the past that they are willing to offer extensions to players they're in agreement with before they can hit the open market. The Astros did it with second baseman Jose Altuve years ago in 2013.
The team did it again in 2019 with Alex Bregman, and it also did it in 2021 with Lance McCullers Jr., which is arguably the most comparable situation with that of Valdez.
In comparison, the Astros’ situation with Carlos Correa in 2021 played out differently when both sides were negotiating and there was much more disagreement on what fair value was. Correa left the team in free agency the following year.
While not every situation plays out the same way, history is on the side that favors both Valdez and the Astros coming to a long-term agreement that keeps the pitcher out of the open market. One thing is certain, Valdez will be looking to prove that he is worth being an ace for a perennial World Series contender.
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Looking for an inspiring underdog or a glass slipper lying around in San Antonio? This year's version of the Final Four is not for you.
Fittingly for an NCAA Tournament in which big schools from big conferences took record numbers of spots in the first week, then hogged them all for the Sweet 16, the last week will bring a collection of all four teams seeded No. 1 to the sport's biggest stage to play for the title.
When Florida meets Auburn in an all-Southeastern Conference clash and Duke faces Houston in a meeting between the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences, it will mark only the second time since seeding began in 1979 that all four No. 1s have made it to the final weekend.
The last time it happened, in 2008, one of the teams was Memphis, which hailed from Conference USA.
This time around, there are no mid-majors or small majors. Only the best teams from the best conferences — except the Big Ten, which will hasn't had a team win it all since 2000 — who also have the nation's best players.
Here's a look at the best player on each team (for Auburn, Duke and Florida, they are AP All-Americans ), along with another who might make an impact in San Antonio once the games start Saturday.
Johni Broome and Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
Broome hit his elbow hard in the second half of the Tigers' 70-64 win over Michigan State. He left the court, but then came back, saying team doctors told him there was nothing wrong. He averages 18 points and nearly 11 rebounds and had 20-10 games in both wins this week. Clearly, his health will be a storyline.
If NBA scouts only look at backup guard Pettiford's tournament, where he has averaged 17.2 points and sparked Auburn on a huge run in the Sweet 16 win against Michigan, they'd pick him in the first round. If they look at his overall body of work, they might say he still needs work. Either way, he could be a difference-maker over two games.
Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, Duke
There are times — see the 30-point, seven-rebound, six-assist skills clinic against BYU — when Flagg just looks like he's toying with everyone. There are other times — see Saturday's win over Alabama — when he looks human. Which is more than enough, considering all the talent surrounding him.
Maluach is 7-foot-2 and has a standing reach of 9-8. If any opponent overplays him, they can expect a lob for an alley-oop dunk. He shot 12 for 15 over Sweet 16 weekend, and pretty much all the shots were from 4 feet or closer.
Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard, Florida
Clayton made the tying and go-ahead 3s in Florida's ferocious comeback against Texas Tech. He finished with 30 points and his coach, Todd Golden, said, “There’s not another player in America you would rather have right now than Walter Clayton with the ball in his hands in a big-time moment.”
During one two-game stretch in February, Richard had two points in one contest and 21 the next. During another, he scored zero, then 30. Fill in the blanks here, but he could be a big factor for the Gators either way.
Joseph Tugler and L.J. Cryer, Houston
Fittingly for the team with the nation's best defense, a player who only averages 5.5 points could be the most valuable for the Cougars. Tugler is on everyone's all-defense list, and for Houston to have any chance at stopping Flagg, it'll have to figure out ways to use Tugler to do it.
Cryer is Houston's leading scorer at 15.2 points a game. If the Cougars end up as national champs, it will have to be because he played the two best games of his life.