Two-time All-Star Framber Valdez sits atop the starting pitching ranks in this year’s crop of free agents. As one might expect, he could draw a massive amount of suitors.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden listed seven different teams as Valdez’s best fits: the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. And while the analyst and former executive stopped short of predicting a landing spot, he did make a contract prediction: six years, $190 million.
That’s a huge chunk of change, but you can see why teams might think Valdez is worth it. He’s been one of the steadier starters in baseball over the past four seasons, compiling a 3.21 ERA and a 1.16 ERA over 767.2 innings pitched.
A lot of rotations could use a talent like that, either plugged in as the ace or utilized as a high-end No. 2. While all of those destinations seem reasonable, our crystal ball sees the Giants making a splash in their rotation after heavily investing in their lineup of late.
Prediction: Valdez signs a five-year deal with San Francisco.
