Orioles might finally land the pitcher they once tried to trade for

The expectation among the fanbase is that the Baltimore Orioles will finish off their offseason by signing one of the remaining free-agent starting pitchers. Either Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez makes the most sense for Baltimore, though Zac Gallen — on a lesser deal — wouldn't be the worst outcome this winter. As it turns out, the Orioles passed on an opportunity to land Valdez years before he became a staple at the top of the Houston Astros' rotation.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon (subscription required) recently reported that the Orioles nearly acquired Valdez in a trade deadline deal with the Houston Astros in 2017. The trade would have seen the Orioles send All-Star closer Zach Britton to the Astros for a package of prospects that included Valdez.

A red flag was raised on the agreed-upon trade, however, as the Orioles cited injury concerns with one of the other prospects that was included in the trade. As it turns out, Britton was traded a year later in a deal with the New York Yankees that hasn't exactly aged well.

Orioles might finally land Framber Valdez after past trade attempt failed

In the alternate universe where the Orioles traded for Valdez in that deal with the Astros, it would have been curious to see how things played out. Perhaps the Corbin Burnes trade never happens, and the Orioles have the inside track to sign Valdez to an extension.

Valdez, to some extent, will be considered a risk taken by any team that signs him. The 32-year-old had a controversial final season in Houston. He wasn't shy to throw his coaching staff under the bus, and when words weren't enough to express his frustration, he seemed to intentionally cross up his own catcher.

The Orioles are seen as the most logical suitor for Valdez, though the New York Mets have lingered around in conversations as well. Not only did the O's perform extensive research on Valdez before the 2017 trade fell through, but Mike Elias was once part the Astros organization. As the offseason draws to a close, an agreement between the Orioles and Valdez continues to be the ideal outcome.