Framber Valdez, the highest-rated starting pitcher in free agency, has agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, according to a report from ESPN on Wednesday.
Valdez becomes an instant ace for the team, with the hard-throwing lefty bringing championship experience after six full seasons with the Astros, including the 2022 World Series-winning squad.
After earning All-Star nods in 2022 and 2023 and finishing in the top 10 in Cy Young voting for a third straight season in 2024, Valdez’s contract year didn’t exactly go to plan. Following a typically terrific first half in which he went 10-4 with a 2.75 ERA, he was 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA after the break, and he had the weird cross-up controversy with catcher Cesar Salazar. In the end, his 3.66 ERA was his highest in a season since 2019.
Valdez, who led the American League with 201.1 innings pitched in 2022, works through trouble, provides length and is accustomed to pitching in the postseason; he has thrown eight complete games since 2022 and made 16 postseason starts with the Astros. In 2022, Valdez posted a 1.44 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across four postseason starts (and 25 innings pitched) en route to the Astros winning the World Series.
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