It's been a quiet offseason on the free agent front for the Astros, and it appears there are legit reasons for that. Because the Astros had to create a new television network, their local TV revenue reportedly isn't what it used to be.

Even a team making crazy money like the Astros is going to feel the loss of $70 million.

And other teams across MLB are taking notice, by making calls to Astros GM Dana Brown about the availability of players like Alex Bregman and now Framber Valdez.

The team is currently slightly over the competitive balance tax according to several reports, so don't be surprised if the team sheds some salary before the end of the season to avoid being penalized.

To be fair, the Astros have only gone over the competitive balance tax once, so the TV money isn't the only reason for the lackluster offseason.

But trading Valdez would come as a bit of a shock. It's not what the Astros do. Just look at their history with George Springer, Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, and Carlos Correa. The club let them walk in free agency and collected a compensatory pick.

However, trading a player with club control like Valdez would certainly bring in a massive haul of prospects that could greatly restock the team's thin farm system.

On the horizon

When looking at the big picture, teams with large TV deals like the Dodgers and Yankees are going to have an even greater advantage over smaller market teams with collapsing local TV networks. Carriers like Direct TV have no problem ignoring stations like AT&TSportsSW, or the new Space City Home Network, but they're going to continue to pay for the Yankees Yes Network for example.

Meaning smaller market teams are going to be less likely to spend big money on free agents.

On the bright side, small market teams have done reasonably well in baseball. Just look at the Royals in 2015, the Rays contend practically every year, and recently the Diamondbacks went to the World Series. The Astros aren't a small market team per se, but look how they've dominated the AL over the Yankees in recent years.

So what's the solution and what does it mean for the 2024 Astros and beyond?

Don't miss the video above as we break it all down!

Subscribe to SportsMapHouston on YouTube for our latest videos!

Presented by Coors Light.