Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez will be a pending free agent. There are many questions about him potentially returning to the Astros next season after they missed the playoffs.
He is 31 years old and will be one of the top free agent pitchers on the market. During the 2025 MLB season, Valdez had a 13-11 record with a 3.66 ERA. In 31 games, he pitched in 192.0 innings and gave up 171 hits and 82 runs. He also walked 68 batters and struck out 187 batters. His WHIP was 1.24. If Valdez does not re-sign with the Astros this offseason, what teams could potentially sign him?
New York Mets
There is no doubt that the New York Mets have a glaring need for starting pitching. It was one of the reasons why New York missed the playoffs. They can't just rely on Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat to be the frontline starters next season. There are questions about Jonah Tong and Clay Holmes. The Mets need a true number one starter and Valdez from Houston would be the perfect match for this team.
Hopefully, David Stearns will learn his lesson from taking reclamation projects as starting pitchers and buy actual pitching instead. If he does not get a front-line starter next season, Stearns will be on the hot seat.
Baltimore Orioles
One of the biggest downfalls of the Baltimore Orioles this season was the starting pitching. Baltimore has a ton of talent on the roster, but they will not make the playoffs without a frontline starter. Mike Elias decided not to re-sign Corbin Burnes last offseason, and he paid a price for it. He can redeem himself this offseason by signing Valdez or bringing in someone else.
Elias is going to be on the hot seat entering the 2026 MLB season after what transpired in the 2025 MLB season. This team needs to spend money and stop being cheap on star players.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs will be in the hunt for starting pitch once their season ends. Even though the Cubs are in the NLDS against the Milwaukee Brewers, they were in the market for starting pitching before the MLB trade deadline.
Chicago is going to address this once free agency arrives. The first thing that the Cubs and Jed Hoyer will need to figure out is if they will be able to re-sign outfielder Kyle Tucker or not. No matter what they decide to do, this franchise needs to pursue Valdez. This is a team that wants to keep its championship window open. Signing him in free agency would keep those championship hopes open. He could get something like a five-year deal worth $90 million.
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