Free agent pitcher Framber Valdez and Detroit Tigers have agreed to a three-year, $115 million contract, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press late Wednesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
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Valdez became one of baseball’s most durable starters with the Houston Astros. Now, the left-hander is poised to join a Tigers rotation backed by a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner. Tarik Skubal.
Skubal reached record salary arbitration hearing As of Wednesday, the left-hander was asking $32 million and the Tigers were offering $19 million.
Valdez is a two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion. He was Houston’s ace last season with a 13-11 record and 3.66 ERA, and became a free agent for the first time.
He struck out 187 and walked 68 in 192 innings, and threw a major league-high 12 wild pitches while earning $18 million on a deal last offseason that avoided salary arbitration. He started Houston’s final four season openers.
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Since his major league debut in 2018 with the Astros, he is 81-52 with a 3.36 ERA. The 32-year-old Dominican has averaged more than 191 innings over the past four seasons, joining Giants right-hander Logan Webb as the only two pitchers to have thrown at least 175 innings each of those years.
Valdez was 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA over 28 games in 2024 and threw no hits in 2023, when he was an All-Star for a second straight season. He is 8-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 17 playoff games, including 16 starts.
Valdez pitched two World Series for the Astros and was the winning pitcher in the win match 6 who secured their 2022 championship against Philadelphia.
In the 2022 series, he was 2-0 in two starts while allowing two runs in 12 1/3 innings (1.46 ERA) with 18 strikeouts. A year earlier, he allowed 10 runs and 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings (19.29 ERA) in two starts against Atlanta.
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Valdez rejected a qualifying offer of $22,025,000 from the Astros in November, so they would receive a compensatory pick after the fourth round of the 2026 amateur draft if he completes his deal with Detroit, which would cause him to lose his third-highest selection.
Valdez threw a hit against Cleveland on August 1, 2023. He came close again a little over a year later against Texas, but that the offer has been broken when Corey Seager homered with two outs in the ninth inning.
There was a strange moment last season when Valdez denied intentionally hitting his receiver in the chest with a throw almost immediately after giving up a grand slam in a loss to the New York Yankees.
Two throws after Trent Grisham’s slam in the Yankees win 7-1 on September 2, Valdez crossed catcher César Salazar while throwing a 92.8 mph sinker to Anthony Volpe. Salazar moved his glove down as the pitch approached home plate, indicating that he expected a pitch with less velocity and more break. The bullet hit him in his chest plate.
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Just before Grisham’s throw over the fence, Salazar waved Valdez off the mound. Valdez and Salazar both said after the game that the throw that hit the catcher was unintentional.
Astros manager Joe Espada insisted a day later that the situation was “100 percent” resolved in his mind and that he wanted to “get over this and get back to baseball,” and he met with both players.
