Framber Valdez Posts 3.35 ERA in 7 Starts for Detroit

framber valdez has made Houston's offseason restraint look costly. The veteran southpaw is in Detroit now, and he has opened this season with a 3.35 ERA across seven starts and 40 1/3 innings.

Valdez in Detroit

He has been effective for Detroit aside from an April 8 blowup against the Minnesota Twins. That one start stands out in a line that otherwise has been built on steady work, with Valdez logging enough innings to give the Tigers regular value from a 32-year-old starter on a short-term, opt-out-laden deal.

His contract carries a $38.33 million average annual value. He signed late in the winter after a long-term deal never materialized, which left Detroit with a veteran arm on a structure that fit the market he eventually found.

Astros Under Jim Crane

Houston did not bring back Valdez, and it did not add the veteran starter the rotation needed over the offseason. The Astros' starting-pitching gambles have not paid off, and their current problems look more avoidable with him in the mix.

Jim Crane's insistence on staying under the luxury tax made a Valdez deal difficult for Dana Brown to fit under the line. The Astros could have gone over the tax line if they wanted, but that choice never came, and the result is a rotation that keeps drawing the same comparison to the arm it let leave.

The immediate takeaway is straightforward for Houston: Valdez is delivering usable innings somewhere else while the Astros are still searching for stability. Detroit has the starts, the innings and the ERA; Houston has the reminder of what it passed on.