Pirates came out on top in the game Framber Valdez on the market, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who calls the Bucs “one of the most aggressive clubs” in pursuit of the star left fielder. Valdez declined a qualifying offer from the Astros earlier in the season and will call the Pirates for their third pick in the 2026 draft if a deal happens.
It’s an unexpected development that seems absurd at first, given the team’s already enviable starting stock and need to strengthen the system. But adding Valdez to the mix might make sense, as it would allow Pittsburgh to tap into their supply of future rotation arms and use that depth to get another bat.
Trade intentions have decreased as the season has progressed, but the Pirates may still try to work with the D-backs. Ketel Martethe Red Sox are on Jarren Duran (or Wilyer Abreu), or the Tribes CJ Abramsby guesswork. There are other names that can be found if the Pirates, depending on which small arms the Pirates will release. Paul Skenesyes, it is completely off limits. General manager Ben Cherington made it clear just days into the season. But even beyond Skenes, the Pirates have it Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft again Bubba Chandler he has been ticketed for a big league innings. Jared Jones will return from UCL surgery this season. Young arms like Hunter Barco, Thomas Harrington again Wilber Dotel are on the 40-man roster and are close to MLB-ready. Pittsburgh selected high schooler Seth Hernandez with the No. 6 overall pick in last summer’s draft. A deep collection for beginners.
Pairing Valdez with Skenes would give the Pirates the best one-two punch in the entire game. Lefty, 32, has been the iron man in Houston’s rotation in recent years. He has thrown 767 2/3 innings of 3.21 ERA ball with a 23.9% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and a 60% ground ball rate over the last four seasons. Among qualified beginners, only Logan Webb pitched more innings during that time. Andre Pallante, Clay Holmes again Jose Soriano they are the only starters with better groundball rates during that span, and Valdez’s ERA is tied with Seattle’s. Bryan Woo of 18.
Signing Valdez would require the Pirates to commit to the largest contract in franchise history, but they have shown a willingness to do so already this winter, which they will reportedly offer. Kyle Schwarber $120-125MM over four years. Valdez wanted a long-term contract, but the way he’s staying on the market is a good reminder of the dearth of contracts for pitchers 32 and older. As can be seen on MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, there have only been three instances of a free agent pitcher age 32 or older agreeing to a five-year contract over the past 15 seasons: Blake Snell, Jacob deGrom again Zack Greinke. All were former Cy Young winners with stronger offenses than the one Valdez currently has.
The Pirates currently plan to pay $95MM next season, according to RosterResource. That, surprisingly, is only a few million shy of their franchise record. However, the pursuit of Valdez and the unsuccessful bids of Schwarber and slugger Eugenio Suárez show a clear determination to push the budget to previously unseen levels.
There has been speculation about Valdez agreeing to a short-term contract with an opt-out, as we’ve seen with high-profile free agents both this winter and in recent offseasons. It’s unclear at this time whether he would agree to such a structure, and it’s unclear whether Pittsburgh is considering that kind of offer or a multi-year contract to lock Valdez into the area for the foreseeable future. The Orioles have been the team most linked to Valdez throughout the winter, but the Blue Jays are still in contention and he has been loosely linked to the Braves, Giants, Mets and Red Sox in recent weeks.
