3 Free Agent Destinations for Framber Valdez
The Houston Astros suffered a collapse down the stretch that was completely out of character for the team. Now they face an uncertain offseason, with No. 2 starter Framber Valdez heading into free agency. The Astros haven't been willing to meet the price tags for their own free agents in recent years, and it's reasonable to ask if the situation with Valdez will be any different.
The 31-year-old Dominican lefty had another solid season for Houston, with a 3.66 ERA. That was a bit of a step back from the 2.91 ERA he posted in 2024, but he's been a very consistent top-end of the rotation starter for several years now. Insider Mark Feinsand of mlb.com writes that in free agency this winter, Valdez "should land a high AAV (average annual value) to lead someone’s rotation, though his age makes the length of the deal a bit less certain."
Let's have a look at three free agent destinations for Valdez:
Toronto Blue Jays
As has been noted numerous times, the Jays will watch as no less than three rotation members hit free agency this offseason. Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt and Shane Bieber (if he opts out of his $16M option, which is almost certain at this point) could all be heading elsewhere.
Toronto will need to replace those holes in the rotation, and Valdez would seem like an ideal arm for them to target. They have had no problem signing much older pitchers to free agent deals recently, such as Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt.
Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles need to spend money on a top-end starting pitcher. Where have we heard that before? They watched as ace Corbin Burnes left in free agency last winter, and did essentially nothing to replace him. While they have an exciting young team on the position player side, they have been super reluctant to spend money on their pitching staff, for reasons unknown. It cost them in 2025, as they slumped to the bottom of the AL East this year. If they want to get back to contending, Valdez would be a nice piece to add.
Houston Astros
Will they finally relent and pay one of their own? They traded star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs last December because they didn't think they could afford him in free agency this winter. They didn't make their longtime star third baseman Alex Bregman a free agent offer that he would take, so he left for Boston. And of course, we all know the George Springer and Carlos Correa stories, two other former World Champions of theirs that they let go in free agency over the years (of course, Correa has since returned).
But after suffering through an injury-ravaged rotation the last couple of seasons, they really need to step up to keep their long-standing top pitcher around.
Photo: © Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
