MLB Rumors: 3 Best Landing Spots for Framber Valdez

January 29, 2026 , , ,
Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez walks off the mound during 2025 game.

Framber Valdez is still sitting out there as the biggest arm on the board, and the longer it drags, the louder the dot connecting gets. 

Steve Phillips said on MLB Network he would be “shocked” if Valdez does not end up with the Baltimore Orioles, but this is the kind of market where one late call can change the whole map. 

Valdez, 32, has been a steady front of the rotation presence for years, carrying an 81-52 career record with a 3.36 ERA, 1,053 strikeouts, and 1.20 WHIP across 1,080.2 innings, and he just logged another heavy season in 2025 with 31 starts, 192 innings, a 3.66 ERA, 187 punchouts, and a ground ball rate that lives near the top of the league.

Baltimore Orioles

If you are trying to sketch the best match, it keeps pointing back to Baltimore, like Phillips said. 

Mike Elias has history with Valdez from Houston, and the Orioles have been chasing rotation stability after injuries wrecked the plan last year. 

On top of that, they have already shown a willingness to push chips in with their winter shopping, and adding Valdez gives them the durable innings eater and big game starter they have been missing. 

If Valdez has not taken another offer yet, it hints Baltimore is sitting with the best one, or at least the one Valdez can live with while he aims for a deal in the range of recent top starter contracts. 

Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto has been connected for a while, including a reported meeting at the GM Meetings in November, and even after landing other pitching, it is hard to ignore how well their roster can prop up Valdez’s calling card. 

He is a ground ball machine, and a team with strong infield conversion can turn a lot of those hard hit rollers into quiet outs, which is a real selling point when you are handing out a big free agent deal. 

Atlanta Braves

Atlanta is the other sneaky one because the pitch is different. 

The Braves can sell workload support and less pressure, with enough rotation depth that Valdez does not have to wear a cape every fifth day. He just has to be himself and soak innings, which he has done year after year.

At this point, the three landing spots that make the most sense are the Orioles as the favorite, the Blue Jays as the spender who can jump back in, and the Braves as the contender who can offer the smoothest environment.

Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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