The New York Mets lacked a true ace in 2025.
It's not the only reason they collapsed down the stretch and failed to hold onto a playoff spot, but it certainly was a major part of it.
This offseason's free agency presents a number of possible pitcher signings that could help solve that for the Mets.
The Athletic's Jim Bowden has singled out one target: Framber Valdez, the left-handed pitcher from the Houston Astros.
He projects Valdez to come to the Mets for seven years and $218 million.
"The Mets need an ace at the top of the rotation and Valdez can be just that," Bowden writes. "His high ground-ball rate and ability to miss bats, combined with his ability to pitch in big games, bode well for him pitching in Queens."
MORE: LeBron James' 10-point streak ends in the most LeBron James way possible
Valdez will have a lot of interest.
There's already one ace off the market. The Toronto Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease from the Padres for seven years and $210 million. That gets you right about to the same number that Bowden is projecting for Valdez.
The southpaw Valdez has a game that should age nicely. He doesn't rely on the strikeout quite as much as other pitchers, and his stuff should still do a good job of getting groundball outs for years to come.
Mets owner Steve Cohen has never been shy about dishing out the dollars it takes to land players that New York wants. If they want Valdez, they probably can get the deal done.
More news:
- Jahmyr Gibbs joins Barry Sanders in exclusive NFL history
- Warriors' Pat Spencer continues improbable journey from lacrosse to NBA
- Toosii somehow committed to college football after a non-descript HS career
- Legend Bey's recruitment was a wildly weird one
- George Pickens blasted for miserable effort
- Google tells us what we already knew about Shedeur Sanders