DETROIT.– The Detroit Tigers reached an agreement with Dominican left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez for three years and 115 million dollars, according to sources at MLB.com. The agreement, which has not yet been officially confirmed by the club, is subject to a physical examination and includes an opt-out after the 2026 season.
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With this signing, Detroit significantly strengthens a rotation that already had ace Tarik Skubal, winner of the American League Cy Young Award in the last two seasons. The arrival of Valdez positions the Tigers as one of the teams with the most solid starting pitching staff heading into the 2026 season. The projected rotation for the Detroit team includes Skubal, Valdez, Jack Flaherty, and Casey Mize, while Reese Olson appears as the main candidate to occupy the fifth position, once he recovers from a strain in his right shoulder that prematurely ended his 2025 season. Drew Anderson and Troy Melton are also listed as alternatives. In the short term, the combination of “Valdez and Skubal” could become one of the most dominant duos in all of baseball, especially considering that Valdez is the only one of the main starters with a contract beyond 2026. Valdez, who turned 32 years old last November 19, spent his first eight seasons in the Major Leagues with the Houston Astros, an organization with which he was a two-time All-Star and World Series champion. Since the start of the 2020 season, the left-hander has recorded an ERA of 3.23 in 973 innings, ranking among the most consistent and durable pitchers in baseball. Since 2021, his first full season as a starter in Houston, Valdez has accumulated 18.3 fWAR, a figure that places him among the top ten MLB pitchers in that period. In the 2025 season, he made 33 starts, with a record of 17-6, an ERA of 3.66, and 187 strikeouts in 192 innings. After that campaign, the Astros presented him with a qualifying offer, which was rejected by the Dominican pitcher, which will allow Houston to receive a compensatory draft pick. Detroit, which in 2025 was just one victory away from advancing to the American League Championship Series, thus reinforces its title aspirations. In addition to Valdez, the Tigers strengthened their pitching during the offseason with the signing of Drew Anderson, as well as relievers Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan. The incorporation of Framber Valdez represents a high-impact move for the organization, which aims to seriously compete for the “glory of October” in the 2026 season.
