Framber Valdez rumors heat up: What each suitor can offer him that others can't

At long last, Framber Valdez's market appears to be heating up. Jon Heyman of the New York Post listed his top five suitors for the star lefty on Wednesday — the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves — and while anything can happen, he says the southpaw will likely land with one of the teams above.

Each of them makes varying degrees of sense for Valdez, but for different reasons. Below is what makes each of these potential suitors stand out from Valdez's point of view.

Atlanta Braves

What the Braves can offer Valdez: The least amount of pressure

The Atlanta Braves are interested in Valdez because he's an innings eater. Valdez threw 192 innings in 2025 and has averaged 191.8 frames a year since 2022. By contrast, the Braves' leader in innings in 2025 was Bryce Elder, with 156.1, and they haven't had a single 190-inning pitcher since R.A. Dickey in 2017. (For reference, that was Dickey's final year in the Majors.) There'd be pressure on Valdez to carry a big workload, but when looking at the rest of this staff, he wouldn't need to be dominant every fifth day for the Braves to win games.

This projected rotation doesn't even include guys like Elder, Grant Holmes and Joey Wentz. The Braves have a ton of quality starting pitching options, and that lessens the need for Valdez to be a Cy Young-caliber arm. As long as he can soak up innings and help most of the names above stay healthy, they'll be fine, lessening the pressure Valdez will face. With less pressure comes a higher likelihood of Valdez pitching well, which he'll especially need if he ends up signing a short-term deal (which, with the Braves, would be the probable outcome).

San Francisco Giants

What the Giants can offer Valdez: Chance to pitch to Patrick Bailey

Valdez has his strengths and his weaknesses, both of which are glaring. Among those weaknesses: Valdez is prone to the occasional wild pitch. Valdez tied for the MLB lead with 12 wild pitches in 2025, and his 37 wild pitches since the start of the 2022 season are the third-most in the Majors. Look at the difference between Valdez's primary catcher, Yainer Diaz, and the San Francisco Giants' starter, Patrick Bailey.

Bailey will do a better job blocking Valdez's signature curveball in the dirt, and he also happens to be one of the best pitch framers in the sport, which will help Valdez steal some calls at the knees. Pitch framing might not be as valuable as it once was, but even with the ABS system being introduced, it will matter somewhat. Having an elite defensive catcher like Bailey can make a bigger difference than people might think, and he's a massive upgrade over what Valdez is used to.

Detroit Tigers

What the Tigers can offer Valdez: Easiest division in MLB

The Detroit Tigers might not be super attractive for Valdez, knowing Tarik Skubal could walk after the year (if he isn't traded sooner) and that they appear unwilling to spend major money on this roster. But if Valdez simply wants to put up the best numbers possible, there's reason to believe the Tigers can get the most out of him. Not only would he be joining Chris Fetter, one of the best pitching coaches in the sport, but he'd be transitioning to the AL Central, the lightest division in MLB.

By virtually all measures, each of the Tigers' four AL Central rivals was among the worst offensive teams in the league in 2025, and they've made at most marginal improvements to their lineups this offseason. As great as Skubal is, getting to face these teams more often than the others undoubtedly helps him put up gaudy numbers. It can have a similar effect on Valdez.

Toronto Blue Jays

What the Blue Jays can offer Valdez: Best infield defense

If there's one thing Valdez is known for, it's generating ground balls at an elite rate. Valdez ranked in the 97th percentile with a 59.4 percent ground ball rate last year, and he's ranked in the 91st percentile or higher since debuting in 2018. The best way to maximize a pitcher who generates a ton of ground balls is to have an elite defense behind him ready to turn them into outs. The Toronto Blue Jays, compared to these other suitors, have far and away the best of the bunch.

The Blue Jays' infield defense should only be better in 2025 with Kazuma Okamoto set to replace Bo Bichette. The competition is a lot stiffer in the AL East, but that might not even matter with an elite defense saving hits left and right behind him.

Baltimore Orioles

What the Orioles can offer Valdez: Everything Valdez could want

There's a reason the Baltimore Orioles have been considered favorites to sign Valdez all offseason: They have everything he could want. Their GM is Mike Elias, a former scout for the Houston Astros when Valdez signed with the organization back in 2015. They're much-improved after adding guys like Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward and Ryan Helsley earlier this offseason to an already talented group. They also have a clear need for an innings-eater like Valdez based on how their rotation performed in 2025.

The Orioles also have desperation on their side, as we've seen from their decisions to give Alonso a five-year deal and trade four years of Grayson Rodriguez for one year of Ward. They're probably the team most likely to offer Valdez the best deal. Knowing this, and everything else the Orioles have to offer, again, there's a reason why Baltimore has been linked to this left-hander all winter long.

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