Framber Valdez came off the board last night with a three-year, $115MM deal (with deferrals) to go along with it. Tarik Skubal Detroit’s top rotation. Reporting after the deal shed light on the lefty’s market before he committed to the Tigers.
The Orioles were often linked to Valdez throughout the season. They could certainly benefit from adding a quality arm around Trevor Rogers again Kyle Bradish. Baltimore president of baseball operations Mike Elias has a relationship with Valdez dating back to his days in the Houston front office. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner and Jon Heyman of the New York Post each suggest the O’s are still in the trade market and still holding out. Zac Gallenarguably the best undrafted free agent.
Like Valdez, Gallen declined a fair offer and is tied to draft compensation. Baltimore will lose their third-round pick (#82 overall) if they sign him. Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, Justin Verlander again Max Scherzer other possibilities if the O’s balk at Gallen’s asking price. None of those pitchers would require a penalty in the draft. The O’s have a projected luxury tax cap of $189MM, as calculated by RosterResource. That’s about $10MM north of where they finished the ’25 season.
While Baltimore was clearly a good fit for Valdez, there were a few other surprises on the market as his free agency loomed. The Pirates reportedly made a move this week, with Jesse Rogers of ESPN reporting that the Twins are also involved. Minnesota also reportedly jumped into the mix Freddy Peralta before the Brewers traded him to the Mets.
It is unknown if they were serious threats to pitch to each pitcher or if they were simply doing their due diligence on the available impact arms. Valdez’s signing would have been shocking. Ownership has reduced spending. The team and president of baseball operations Derek Falvey parted ways last week in a surprisingly timely decision. Minnesota derailed any rebuilding plans after bringing in several investors to reduce some of the franchise’s debts. At the same time, they made only modest additions (especially Victor Caratini, Josh Bell again Taylor Rogers) on a team that lost its second as many games in the American League and depleted the bullpen in a major deadline auction.
There is no indication that the Yankees were involved in Valdez in the end, but they clearly had some interest earlier this winter. Jon Heyman of The New York Post writes that the Yanks reviewed the medical options for the pitcher but gave up what they wanted after the re-signing. Cody Bellinger up to a five-year, $162MM deal. That increased their competitive balance sheet by about $330MM, and Valdez’s second blowout seemed out of their financial reach. The Yankees acquired a talented but often injured lefty Ryan Weathers in trade with Miami. Other than that, it looks like they will be relying more on their inside arms to hold the rotation until Carlos Rodón again Gerrit Cole come back.
