With much of the pitching market already signed, in terms of elite arms, Framber Valdez remains one of the most intriguing names still available.
Valdez seemingly doesn’t have the market he was hoping for, but that could change after Freddy Peralta was traded to the New York Mets.
Christopher Kline of FanSided recently predicted that the San Francisco Giants would land Valdez, citing both roster fit and circumstances as key factors.
“Framber Valdez is 32 and he made a fool of himself when he intentionally crossed up his own catcher late last season,” Kline wrote.
“A combination of negative factors has led his market to stagnate a bit – at least it appears that way from the outside. But the San Francisco Giants have let most of this winter's opportunities pass them by. Valdez makes for an excellent No. 3 starter behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, and he'd also benefit immensely from San Francisco's collection of high-level infield gloves.”
The Giants have been aggressive in past offseasons, but this winter hasn’t been much to write home about outside of making Tony Vitello their next head coach.
While the left-hander’s 2025 season came with questions, mainly due to crossing up his catcher last summer, he’s a really good arm and would succeed in a pitcher-friendly ballpark like Oracle.
With the need for another starter to pair with Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, Valdez would fit nicely into that No. 2 role.
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