2 Frontrunners Named for Free Agent Framber Valdez
UPDATE
— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) January 2, 2026
The Orioles and Mets have been the two clubs most often connected to Framber Valdez, per @Feinsand pic.twitter.com/lECY6oPDPr
Both clubs are in need of adding to their rotations. The O's have traded for Shane Baz and re-signed Zach Eflin. But there are question marks with both of them, and neither are of the ace-like variety that Baltimore needs on their staff.
The Mets are also looking for a top-end starter, but they're wary of handing out a long-term deal for a pitcher. “President of baseball operations David Stearns has shied away from signing pitchers for more than three years... The top starters out there -- namely Valdez and (Ranger) Suárez -- are likely to command longer-term deals, so it remains to be seen whether Stearns will go all-in for one of them or look elsewhere, possibly the trade market,”writes Feinsand.
Other than those two teams, the market for Valdez is a mysterious one at this point. As Feinsand notes, for the big spenders like the Yankees and Dodgers, "the need to spend on a starting pitcher simply doesn't exist."
And another big market team with deep pockets, the Toronto Blue Jays, have already handed out a $210M contract to Dylan Cease this winter.
Valdez has been as consistent as they come as a top-end of the rotation arm in his time with the Houston Astros. He has an 81-52 career mark with a 3.36 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. In fact, his 3.66 ERA in 2025 was his highest in six years since becoming a full-time starter for the 'Stros.
He's projected to land a 5-6 year deal worth anywhere from $160 to $200 million. It would be a shock to see the Orioles hand out that kind of money. If they were amenable to that, they wouldn't have let a true No. 1 ace like Corbin Burnes get away in free agency last year.
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