Before mid-December hit, it was thought that the Houston Astros would just ride out the rest of the offseason, potentially adding some inexpensive bullpen pieces when they could and get more depth into their minor league pipeline.

But, a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic spiced things up.

According to him, multiple teams are monitoring the situation of the Astros’ ace Framber Valdez this offseason and think that the front office could potentially move him.

That was a bombshell.

Before Justin Verlander was acquired again at the trade deadline last season, Houston seemed ready to turn the rotation to Valdez as their ace of the future.

But some struggles down the stretch last year and in the playoffs might have the front office second guessing that trajectory.

Another factor could also be Valdez’s roughly $12 million salary for the upcoming season and an increased amount in his final year of arbitration. The already financially handicapped Astros aren’t able to spend much money this offseason to appease the owner’s request of staying under the tax threshold.

Trading their ace would not only get his contract off the books, but could also bring back a package that would help Houston rebuild their poor farm system.

So, if they were to trade him, they could look at these three teams.

Baltimore Orioles

It’s been no secret that the AL’s best regular season team in 2023 is looking to upgrade their rotation. But, their limited payroll ability prevents them from spending. Valdez’s $12 million salary and additional year of club control could be appealing to the Baltimore Orioles’ GM Mike Elias, who also spent time with the Astros.

The Orioles have the best farm system in the league and could send back appealing prospects to help Houston’s reload. The No. 1 overall player, Jackson Holliday, is off limits, but their other Top-5 prospects have all been discussed as potential trade chips.

Chicago Cubs

If a splash isn’t made soon by the Chicago Cubs’ front office, they could find themselves being one of the most desperate teams on the market. That might have them swinging to land one of the most coveted players on the trade block.

Outside of their No. 1 prospect, Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs might be willing to move just about any of their elite prospects in a package to land someone with the talent that Valdez possess. They’ll be a team to keep an eye on.

Boston Red Sox

They are another team that has been looking to land impact players this offseason and have come up empty. If they don’t sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they could turn their attention to offloading some prospects to land Valdez.

The Boston Red Sox have the 16th ranked farm system according to MLB Pipeline and all of these top players are 23 years old or younger. That provides an enticing future for the Astros if they can get these players into their pipeline.