Framber Valdez is the most decorated free-agent starting pitcher left on the market, and The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman has provided an update on which teams are interested in the lefty.
“The Orioles, Mets and Giants are teams known to have met with free agent star Framber Valdez,” Heyman wrote on Friday.
“The Yankees checked in on Valdez but it’s unknown how likely it is that the Yankees add a frontline starter,” Heyman added.
Valdez a 13-11 record, a 3.66 ERA, and 187 strikeouts over 192 innings in 31 starts for Houston in 2025. His WHIP stood at 1.24, marking a slight dip from recent years, though he delivered 18 outings with two or fewer earned runs and five games with double-digit strikeouts.
Despite some rough patches, including seven starts allowing five or more earned runs, Valdez remained a reliable innings-eater, finishing with a 3.8 WAR.
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Over his eight-year MLB career, all with Houston, Valdez has compiled an 81-52 record, a 3.36 ERA, and 1,053 strikeouts in 1,080 2/3 innings.
Signed as an international free agent in 2015, he debuted in 2018 and emerged as a rotation staple by 2020, earning Astros Pitcher of the Year honors that season. His peak came in 2022 with a 17-6 record, a 2.82 ERA, an All-MLB First Team nod, and key wins in the World Series en route to a championship.
A two-time All-Star (2022, 2023), he threw a no-hitter in 2023 and received Cy Young votes in four of the last six years.
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Featured image via Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images
