The Houston Astros’ front office has been spending the 2019 offseason on a couple of fronts: Like every other team, they’ve been scouring the hot stove for possible trade and free agent signing possibilities. Unlike any other team, though, they’re in the process of cooperating with Major League Baseball on an alleged electronic sign-stealing scandal.

All eyes will be on the Astros’ booth and their conference and banquet tables at the annual winter meetings in San Diego in the second week of December. Their lone acquisition through November has been the signing of journeyman free agent catcher Dustin Garneau.

Whether Houston will be thought of in the coming months as a wish-list team for future talent remains to be seen. A lot depends on the potential torrent of sanctions put in place by Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Player development, though, continues apace for the Astros, and about a dozen-and-a-half of the team’s prospects (14 pitchers, three catchers) have spent the last few weeks in various winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.

Left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez, and right-handers Rogelio Armenteros and Francis Martes have been plying their wares in the Dominican on three different teams, in play that concludes in mid-December. Each player will doubtless play a significant role on the Astros’ 2020 pitching staff, with each one probably getting a Spring Training chance to crack the starting rotation.

Related: Batterymate Cesar Salazar at Winter Mexican League

Framber Valdez

The Astros are bound and determined to make the native Dominican southpaw a consistent and valuable asset. At times, Valdez’ sweeping curve has sent hitters mumbling to their benches. Mostly, though, his inability to regularly find the strike zone has impeded the progress of the 5’11”, 170-pounder.

In his two years with Houston, Valdez has started 13 games and worked out of the bullpen in 21 contests to a cumulative 4.60 ERA, with 96 hits in 107.2 innings. His strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) is 8.53, with a BB/9 of 5.68.

Called up three times in 2019 from AAA Round Rock, Valdez started seven-of-10 games and turned in a nifty 3.25 ERA in 44.1 IP for the Express with a “that’s more like it” 14.1 K/9 and 3.45 BB/9.

Valdez was instructed to stretch out this winter for the Cibaenas Eagles of the Dominican League, and indeed, he started all of his five games. Three of those games he pitched five innings, while twice he went just 4.1 IP.

Save for his getting lit up for four earned runs in his final game, November 27, Valdez turned in a winter league stat sheet the front office will be happy to see. In 23.2 innings for the Eagles, Valdez posted a 2.28 ERA and a .210 batting average against, but walked 10 (eight of them right-handed batters) and struck out only 14 (nine of them right-handed).

Valdez will get some spring starts, but still has some command issues to work through. If he doesn’t make the ‘Stros’ 26-man Opening Day roster as a reliever, he’ll begin the year back at Round Rock.

Rogelio Armenteros

The Astros’ #21-ranked prospect (per MLB.com), Armenteros was promoted four times to Houston from Round Rock in 2019. Like Valdez, he was stretched out as a starter in all five of his appearances for the Cibao Giants, pulling in a 2.37 ERA, giving up five runs in 19 IP through November.

Armenteros, a native of Cuba, was nothing short of dominant through his first four starts for Gigantes del Cibao before allowing three runs in one inning in his November 7 start. The 25-year-old, 6’1″, 215-pound hurler has struck out 17, with seven walks.

Armenteros, who made his MLB debut in mid-June, pitched to a 4.80 ERA over 19 games (18 starts) with Round Rock and gave up eight earned runs through 18 innings with the Astros, striking out 18 and walking five.

Armenteros’ best pitch is his tumbling changeup, coupled with his innate feel for pitch sequencing. Unlike the erratic Valdez, Armenteros has a knack for locating his entire repertoire, effectively keeping hitters off balance. He gives hitters different looks with a sinking 88-90 mph two-seam fastball and riding his 90-92 mph four-seamers up in the zone. He can occasionally hit 95 on the gun.

Likely another future bullpen piece, Armenteros has a better shot than Valdez at starting in 2020. Manager AJ Hinch will give him that opportunity this spring.

Related: Astros Send Valdez & Armenteros to 2019 Annual MLB Rookie Program

Francis Martes

Martes has had nearly two complete seasons sheared off his career. He had Tommy John surgery in August 2018, served an 80-game PED suspension in 2019, and remained on the restricted list for a time due to visa issues.

Martes had two late-August rehab appearances, plus his full-season affiliate debut, September 1 with Houston’s Class A Quad Cities River Bandits. He pitched well in that outing, despite giving up a first-inning solo blast.

Astros’ GM Jeff Luhnow has said that Martes should be ready to go 100% for Spring Training.

Martes logged an abbreviated turn with the Dominican League’s Escogido Lions through mid-November, submitting a 7.94 ERA in 5.2 innings over three games, giving up eight hits and a .320 BAA. While whiffing five, he walked no one.

The 24-year-old Dominican native will also get his starting reps this spring as a possible rotation candidate, but the bullpen may be his ultimate and more realistic landing spot.