Red Sox Reportedly Met With This All-Star Pitcher Before Trading For Sonny Gray

The Boston Red Sox traded for Sonny Gray on November 25, but new intel from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reveals that Boston had an in-person meeting with another big-time starter before the Gray deal.

That pitcher was none other than All-Star left-hander Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros (who remains a free agent, by the way).

It’s unclear how the meeting with Valdez went, just as it’s unknown why the Red Sox have stayed away from Valdez in free agency thus far. It’s a decision that might result in Valdez joining another club in the American League East (the Baltimore Orioles, perhaps).

Ultimately, the Red Sox ended up snagging Gray and also added Johan Oviedo later on, bolstering their rotation in other ways.

The Red Sox had an in person meeting with Framber Valdez in November before trading for Sonny Gray.

– @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/287mHrIbr9

— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) January 14, 2026

Valdez was 13-11 in 2025 across 31 starts for the Astros. He logged 192 innings with a 3.66 ERA, striking out 187 batters while maintaining a 1.24 WHIP. Despite some late-season struggles, Valdez delivered impressive performances down the stretch like a seven-inning gem against the Athletics on September 25, allowing just one earned run and fanning 10.

Over his eight-year MLB career, all with the Astros since debuting in 2018, Valdez has compiled an 81-52 record with a 3.36 ERA in 188 appearances (166 starts). He has amassed 1,053 strikeouts in 1,080 2/3 innings, earning two All-Star nods in 2022 and 2023, a World Series title in 2022, and All-MLB honors. As of Wednesday, the 32-year-old lefty remains a free agent after electing free agency in November.

Valdez and Ranger Suárez remain the two most talented free-agent starters available. The Red Sox have been loosely linked to Suárez by the media, and now it’s become clear that they’ve always been linked to Valdez, who may have had some clubhouse issues in Houston during the end of last season.

With the Suárez buzz and now this Valdez news from Rosenthal, it appears that Boston has had its hands in most if not all of the available free-agent arms this offseason, even if they’ve opted to use the trade market as the means to improve the rotation.