Just when it looked like the offseason might be over, Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg came through with a huge move that vastly upgrades the Detroit Tigers’ pitching staff, and gives them a strong second starter who can help lead the rotation beyond 2026.
The Tigers inked long-time Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez to a three-year deal worth $115 million. The 32-year-old was looking for a longer term deal, but instead will make $38.3 million a season on a shorter deal. He has an opt-out after his second year, so he can test free agency in 2028 after the new CBA is agreed. For now, he finds himself in a very good spot pitching for A.J. Hinch again after Hinch managed him for his first two major league seasons in 2018-2019. He also will work with a excellent group of pitching coaches and gets a catching upgrade with Dillon Dingler and Jake Rogers behind the dish.
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Well no one really saw this coming. We begged for it a bit back in November in this piece, hoping that the Hinch-Valdez connection might help lure him to Detroit. Still, after a somewhat quiet offseason, the Tigers swooped in to land the best free agent on the market, and the best pitcher available this offseason. The Tigers will surrender their Competitive Balance Round B selection in the 2026 draft, as the Astros did give Valdez a qualifying offer back in November. It was a good offseason for a big signing, as at least they weren’t giving up an A round pick right after the regular first round. The pick they’re giving up is 69th overall, so that’s nice.
Valdez has been averaging 4 fWAR seasons for four straight years now with remarkable consistency. He made 31 starts in three of those four years, and 28 in the other, so he’s also been very durable. That gives the Tigers confidence that they’re going to get their money’s worth here.
Chris McCosky of the Detroit News posted on X that the Tigers still don’t know Tarik Skubal’s arbitration result, so this was an independent decision, apparently.
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Valdez is one of the great groundball artists in the game, racking up quick outs with his 94 mph sinker, while mixing in a nasty curveball and changeup combination. He strikes out an average amount of hitters, but he prevents home runs and generally is a precision strike thrower who won’t give out many free passes. Over the past four seasons he’s compiled a 3.21 ERA across 767 2/3 innings of work with a 23.9 percent strikeout rate, 7.9 percent walk rate, and a HR/9 of just 0.70.
We’ll have a deeper dive tomorrow morning, but this is a huge move from a Tigers team derided for its lack of aggression over the past two offseasons. Valdez gives them arguably the best rotation in baseball alongside ace Tarik Skubal and makes them a much more series contender in 2026.
Now people can start wildly speculating that Skubal is getting traded and Valdez is his replacement. Ah the pageantry of a baseball offseason.
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