One of the top free agent pitchers remaining is Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez. It became clear that a reunion with the Astros is all but out of the question after they signed Tatsuya Iami on New Year’s Day.
For teams chasing Valdez, that is certainly some good news. However, given that Valdez declined a qualifying offer from Houston, whichever team signs him will owe the Astros a compensatory pick in next year’s MLB Draft.
There have been several teams linked to Valdez, including the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets. Another team that is in the mix is the Atlanta Braves. MLB Network’s CJ Nitkowski believes the Braves are a realistic destination.
Braves Get Promising Framber Valdez Update
According to Nitkowski, the Giants are a destination that makes sense for Valdez, but he isn’t counting out Atlanta just yet.
“San Francisco would be a great fit,” Nitkowski said. “Who knows… I’m not going to say no to the Braves just yet. There’s a lot of talk about the Braves bringing in Martin Maldonado as an assistant in the front office, and the connection there, Braves fans are making that connection.”
Valdez would be a splash for the Braves, who saw Spencer Strider and Reynaldo López go down with injuries. The 32-year-old Valdez would be a welcome addition to Atlanta’s rotation.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Mets and Orioles are the two clubs often mentioned with Valdez. However, he thinks that New York could shy away from giving long-term deals. Instead, potentially trading for Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“New York could use a big arm to lead its rotation, with Valdez a logical option. One potential sticking point: (President of baseball operations David) Stearns has historically shied away from signing starters to long-term deals, making a trade for a controllable arm – Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, perhaps? – a more realistic option,” wrote Feinsand.
Will the Braves Bid For Framber Valdez?
Whichever team signs Valdez will be getting a game-changing pitcher. In 2025, for Houston, he made 31 starts, going 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA in 192 innings with 187 strikeouts. He had a 3.8 WAR and was not the reason for the Astros’ collapse that saw the Seattle Mariners win the American League West Division and fade from the Wild Card race.
Ryan Finklestein of Just Baseball predicted a five-year, $160 million contract for Valdez this winter. That is a long-term deal that the Braves could make to solidify their spot in the National League East behind the Philadelphia Phillies.
According to Feinsand, Baltimore is still in the mix. That’s despite signing Pete Alonso to a big deal and recently adding a pair of pitchers.
“Baltimore has already added Shane Baz in a trade with the Rays and re-signed Zach Eflin, but the need for a frontline starter remains. The Orioles also have handed out their biggest free-agent contract in years with Pete Alonso’s five-year, $155 million deal, so it remains to be seen whether they’re prepared to make another high-priced signing,” Feinsand wrote.
Atlanta needs another arm. A top-of-the-rotation arm. Whether that’s Valdez or not remains to be seen. Perhaps they go another route, but their options are slowly dwindling in a division that is going through a lot of transition.
Braves Get Huge Update on Pursuit of $160 Million Free Agent Pitcher