Jim Bowden might believe that the Houston Astros are a likely landing spot for Framber Valdez, but the rest of the world knows that it's a real long shot. The Astros tagged Valdez with the qualifying offer, knowing full well the ace is likely to decline. The point of the whole exercise is to recoup a draft asset for a player they know they have no shot at re-signing.
Valdez's latest stunt just confirmed his exit. In a bold move, Valdez showed up at the general managers meeting to speak with teams and gladhand executives in hopes of driving his market as high as it can go.