The Detroit Tigers have inked left-hander Framber Valdez to a three-year, $115 million deal, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. As Passan points out, the average annual value of the contract is a record for both left-handed hurlers and Latin American pitchers. The Tigers now have two of the most effective lefties in the league, with Valdez joining two-time reigning AL Cy Young Tarik Skubal atop the rotation.
The 32-year-old Valdez has spent the entirety of his eight-year MLB career with the Houston Astros. He made $18 million last season, his final year of arbitration. Valdez hit the open market this offseason as one of the most desired free-agent arms on the board. His contract doesn’t match Dylan Cease‘s seven-year, $210 million deal from the Toronto Blue Jays in terms of length or total value, but it does best the righty on a per-year basis. Fellow lefty Ranger Suarez received a five-year, $130 million pact from the Boston Red Sox.
Valdez matched a career high with 31 starts in 2025. He pitched to a 3.66 ERA across 192 innings. Valdez wraps up his time in Houston with a 3.36 ERA over 188 appearances. He earned a pair of All-Star nominations and finished in the top 10 in AL Cy Young voting on three occasions.
Detroit Tigers Add Workhorse to Pitching Staff
Valdez has been one of the most consistent innings eaters in the league in recent seasons. He’s reached 175 IP in four consecutive years. Valdez paced the American League in innings in 2022. He led all pitchers in shutouts in 2022 and 2023. Valdez was one of just three pitchers to have multiple complete games this past season (Tanner Bibee and Nick Lodolo being the other two).
The heavy workload has generally been the result of easy outs on the ground. Valdez uses a sinker as his primary pitch, and it generates ground balls at one of the highest rates in the league. He’s coaxed grounders at a tremendous 62.5% clip for his career. The league average last season was 44.2%. Valdez has ranked 91st percentile or better in ground ball rate every year since he became a full-time starter in 2021. He led all qualified starters in the metric in 2022 and 2024.
Did Tigers Tip Their Hand With Skubal?
The big Detroit news of the day was supposed to be the resolution of Skubal’s groundbreaking arbitration hearing. The ace and the team met with a three-person panel to settle the largest gap in the history of the process. Skubal’s camp filed at $32 million, while the Tigers came in at $19 million. The results of the hearing will not be revealed until February 5, according to the Associated Press.
The fact that Detroit opened the checkbook for Valdez could signal the result of Skubal’s case. Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reported that the outcome of the hearing would likely shape the rest of the Tigers’ offseason. If the team is forced to fork over $32 million to Skubal, that could put an end to significant spending this winter, as it would push Detroit’s payroll beyond $190 million. If the panel sides with the club, the Tigers’ front office would have more flexibility to add in free agency.
Tigers Sign Top Remaining Free Agent Pitcher to Massive Deal