It seems all but guaranteed that Framber Valdez will be in a good position to get paid this winter, especially after Dylan Cease took a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Not that Cease is bad by any means, but he’s 29 years old and had a pretty rough year in 2025. Valdez is 32, but he’s been better than Cease throughout his career.
Regardless, it doesn’t seem like the Houston Astros will have much of an opportunity to keep him around, and Will Laws of Sports Illustrated predicted that to be the case.
He looked around Major League Baseball at the top free agents and predicted where they’d land, projecting that Valdez would sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“Valdez is one of the majors’ most durable, consistent pitchers; he and Giants ace Logan Webb are the only two hurlers to complete at least 175 innings while recording an ERA under 3.70 in each of the last four seasons.
“The worm-burning lefty also has three top-10 Cy Young finishes, a no-hitter and a World Series-clinching win under his belt from his time with the Astros. Valdez would step in as a top-tier No. 2 pitcher on just about any pitching staff, and the fact he doesn’t rely on elite velocity likely means he’d age well over the course of a five-year contract,” he wrote.
The Diamondbacks are expected to move on from a few players, including Ketel Marte, possibly, so it’d be a tad surprising to see Valdez land there. However, if they plan to be somewhat competitive, the fit makes sense considering they could lose Zac Gallen in the offseason.
More news: