The left-hander reported on time with pitchers and catchers nearly two weeks ago at West Palm Beach, Fla. But the outing was his first as he gears up to be the likely opening-day starter for Houston.
He did not disappoint, as he threw two shutout innings for the Astros to claim the win in a 3-0 Houston victory.
Valdez (1-0) got the rare spring training game decision in part because catcher Yainer Diaz staked him to a 2-0 lead on a first-inning two RBI home run.
Valdez handled the rest. In the first inning he forced a groundout from Nationals leadoff hitter CJ Abrams. After he walked Luis Garica Jr., Keibert Ruiz grounded into a double play to end the inning.
All Valdez needed was help from his defense in the second inning. He induced back-to-back groundouts from Nathaniel Lowe and Andres Chaparro, followed by a flyout by Jose Tena.
It was a crisp and efficient two innings for Valdez, who threw 26 pitches, including 15 strikes. He didn’t allow a hit.
The 31-year-old is entering his final season under team control and is set to become a free agent after the season. He signed a one-year deal worth $18 million this offseason to avoid arbitration.
Valdez could be one of the most sought-after starting pitchers on the free-agent market and could end up with a deal that approaches the contracts that both Corbin Burnes and Max Fried signed in the offseason, which were just over $200 million.
The Astros have, in some cases, done a good job of retaining its free agents. But, they lost third baseman Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal to the Boston Red Sox.
He is coming off a 2024 in which he went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA. He struck out 169 and walked 55 in 176.1 innings, finishing seventh in AL Cy Young voting and 15th in AL MVP voting.
The left-hander has been a big part of Houston’s success in recent years, as he was in the rotation for both their World Series appearance in 2021 and their World Series title in 2022.
During that 2022 season he made his first All-Star appearance, went 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA and struck out 194 in an AL-high 201 innings.
He followed that in 2023 with a 12-11 record, a second All-Star Game nod and 200 strikeouts in 198 innings. He also threw his first career no-hitter.