Mariners fans will watch Astros' supremacy disappear once one final player is traded

Although the Mariners have not been very active this offseason, they can find solace in the teardown of a rival organization. Over the last eight seasons, the Houston Astros have won the AL West division title seven times, and although it's been grueling for M's fans, this Astros' onslaught might come to a screeching halt in 2025.

Seattle is already celebrating the departure of Kyle Tucker, a perennial All-Star who is a career Mariner killer. It looks like Houston will also cut ties with Alex Bregman, and now, it's starting to feel like the thorn is being removed from Seattle's side.

The latest news coming out of Houston has baseball fans believing that their ace, Framber Valdez is next in line to find a new team. If that's the case, Mariners fans can let out a major sigh of relief knowing Houston won't be the unrelenting favorite in the AL West anymore.

Mariners Rumors: Astrso could trade Framber Valdez after recent moves

Valdez, 31, has been one of the premier left-handed starters for the last few seasons. He's finished top-10 in the American League Cy Award race three years in a row, including a top-five nod in 2022. This level of dominance is exactly what the Mariners and every other AL West is hoping to never see again.

Valdez has been especially tough at T-Mobile Park. In seven career appearances on the road against the Mariners, Valdez holds 2.87 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings. He faced Seattle four times in 2024, and although the M's scored five runs on him in early May, he reeled in three solid starts after the one blemish.

The Astros, however, are not the only AL West club to be linked to potentially trading a top-end starter. The Mariners have stolen plenty of headlines this winter, which includes the rumors of dealing Luis Castillo or Logan Gilbert ahead of the new season. So, while the Mariners could jump for joy at the thought of Framber Valdez turning the page in Houston, fans in the Pacific Northwest still might need to worry about whether Jerry Dipoto will hold onto their two prized arms.

If the Mariners wind up trading Castillo or Gilbert, the pain could be subsided by watching the Astros completely unload their star players. Houston crumbling is a period in time that most baseball fans have been waiting for, especially ones from the AL West. Mariners fans could be excited, but they also need to hope that their front office capitalizes in lockstep with the Astros' re-tool.