Framber Valdez is off the board. The Detroit Tigers have reportedly agreed to sign Valdez to a three-year deal, taking the last marquee pitching name off the board just before 2026 Spring Training. The left-hander is coming off a good 2025, albeit one that came with hiccups.
A Look at Valdez
The 2025 campaign was, for the most part, a successful one for Framber Valdez. The 32-year-old won 13 games for the Astros, struck out 187 over 192 batters, and was one of the league’s better pitchers in terms of limiting well-hit contact and inducing chases. He ranked above the MLB league median in both categories.
His .295 wOBA ranked 35th out of the 126 starting pitchers who threw at least 100 innings this past season.
Valdez’s pitch usage has been remarkably consistent over the years. He’s primarily a three-pitch pitcher, with his mid-90s sinker, a changeup that plays off the sinker, and a curveball that sits around 80 MPH and is a big breaker. He’s experimented with a cutter and will also occasionally use a four-seamer.
The former left-hander doesn’t chase swing-and-miss. Rather, he’s a heavy groundball pitcher but can get a lot of whiffs off the changeup and curveball, both formidable secondary offerings. His career high for strikeouts was 200, set in 2023.
However, things went off the rails in the second half for Valdez, particularly in September. Normally, a pitcher who keeps the ball on the ground, Valdez posted a 5.20 ERA in the second half, as he conceded seven home runs. Five of those came in the month of September.
And in what was one of the more mystifying moments, Valdez garnered a lot of attention after he threw a fastball at the chest of catcher Cesar Salazar in a 6-0 game against the Yankees in September. Salazar set to his left, while the fastball went in a different direction (see below).
Per ESPN, the Tigers will give three years and $115MM to Framber Valdez, giving him the highest average annual value for a Major League pitcher.
Analysis
On the same day that Tarik Skubal had his arbitration hearing set and dealt with, the Tigers may have landed someone to replace him should the two-time Cy Young winner walk this coming winter.
Valdez is a top-of-the-rotation arm, one who can limit well-hit contact, give hitters a multitude of different looks, and has extensive postseason experience.
He handled pitching in Houston, a ballpark very friendly to right-handed hitters, well. Now, he’ll go to a more pitcher-friendly ballpark and rejoin a manager he is familiar with. Valdez played for A.J. Hinch in 2018 and 2019, his first two seasons as a Major Leaguer.
The Tigers may not be able to keep Skubal around after 2026 for several reasons. One, the nagging arbitration process that can wear on players. Two, the Tigers may not be willing to pay what may very well be an exorbitant price for him.
Should that happen, Valdez can keep the Tigers’ playoff window open, even more important when taking into account that Detroit’s farm system is loaded with high-end hitting talent. Assuming the likes of Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark come up in, let’s say mid-2026, the Tigers will have two to three shots to win with those players on affordable deals.
The move also takes the last big piece on the board left in the free agent market, although there are still plenty of pitchers available. Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Chris Bassitt are all still free agents, as is Zac Gallen.
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