ESPN: Yankees-Astros Trade Idea Brings $70 Million Ace to New York in 3-Player Swap

Even though they lost Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes, and several other players, the New York Yankees have had a successful offseason to start the 2025 season. Franchise slugger Aaron Judge may only need Max Fried, Paul Goldschmidt, and a number of young players as supporting cast, but if there is one area that needs reinforcement for a run to October, it would be the starting rotation. Fried and Carlos Rodon have been outstanding, but the injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil have taken their toll, and a deep starting staff is frequently the secret to success in the postseason.

Heavy’s Sam Bernardi proposed a trade that would acquire Framber Valdez from the Houston Astros in return for right-hander Clayton Beeter and outfield prospect Everson Pereira, as the Yankees contemplate acquiring some outside assistance. “For all the Sandy Alcantara hopefuls, that is still a possibility, but perhaps Houston Astros star Framber Valdez makes more sense,” Bernardi stated.

With All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023 and Cy Young Award votes in each of the previous three seasons, Valdez has emerged as one of baseball’s top left-handed starters in recent years. With a 3.94 ERA in eight starts, his season has started off poorly, but in recent appearances, he has begun to resemble the pitcher that fans are accustomed to. Critically, Valdez is going into free agency at the end of the season. According to Spotrac, his next contract is expected to pay $70 million, thus the Yankees may be able to get him for a reasonably inexpensive price.

“At 31 years old, Valdez is going to command a large payday this offseason, a cause for concern among New York fans,” Bernardi stated. “However, Aaron Judge is not getting any younger and the front office should do everything in its power to capitalize on his historic pace while he is still in his prime.”

Pereira has been hitting well at Triple-A, but the Yankees already have a logjam in the outfield. And Beeter enjoyed a solid cup of coffee with the Yankees in his 2024 debut, but a chance to swap him for a bona fide frontline starter could be hard to pass up. Crucially, this trade proposal would provide the Yankees some genuine postseason reinforcement while leaving top prospects Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. unaltered.