With the season-long expectation being that Framber Valdez was headed toward greener pastures this offseason, it's no surprise that Valdez turning down the Astros' qualifying offer feels like a farewell. The Astros aren't expected to be at the forefront of Valdez's sweepstakes this offseason, and a shocking prediction provides the reason why.
Working through their latest round of free agency predictions, Bleacher Report has Valdez landing a six-year, $200MM deal. Valdez is viewed as the top starting pitcher on the free-agent market this offseason, but the cross-up incident with Cesar Salazar and high ground ball rate could be reason enough for his market to have a ceiling.