The Houston Astros seem to have downgraded their team a bit this offseason. However, their starting rotation has the chance to be one of the best in the MLB. Framber Valdez is going to be the team's ace once again in 2025.

Athlon Sports dissects everything you need to know about the club ahead of the upcoming Major League Baseball season.

With the start of the regular season a little more than two weeks away, Framber Valdez, the Houston Astros' presumed opening day starter, is ramping up to make sure he’s ready. After throwing 60 pitches in his third start of spring training — a 10-6 loss to the Marlins on Sunday — Valdez headed to the bullpen for more work so he could work on his endurance and headed to the shower with 75 pitches under belt.

The Houston Astros reworked their offense a bit this offseason, but didn't do too much to their pitching. In all fairness, there wasn't much to be done. It was a strength of the team once things turned around and there around some interesting names from in-house to fill in losses.