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Detroit Tigers sign Framber Valdez to 3-year, $115 million contract
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- Detroit Tigers sign Framber Valdez to 3-year, $115 million contract
The Detroit Tigers made a big splash in free agency.
The Tigers signed left-hander Framber Valdez on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to a three-year, $115 million contract with an opt-out clause after the 2027 season, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. There is some deferred money.
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The 32-year-old rejected the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Houston Astros in November, so the Tigers will forfeit the No. 98 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft to sign him.
The deal is pending a physical.
MORE ON THE DEAL: Does Tigers' big swing on Framber Valdez change narrative about team?
In 2025, Valdez registered a 3.66 ERA with 68 walks (8.5% walk rate) and 187 strikeouts (23.3% strikeout rate) across 192 innings in 31 starts for the Astros, where he spent the first eight years of his MLB career — and his entire professional career, signing with the Astros as an international free agent in 2015.
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He made his MLB debut in August 2018.
Valdez – a two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion – has a relationship with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch , who managed the Astros from 2015-19.
The $38.3 million average annual value for Valdez's three-year contract with the Tigers is the highest ever for a left-handed pitcher, surpassing the $36.4 million per year notched by Blake Snell with the Los Angeles Dodgers in November 2024.
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By signing Valdez, the Tigers have formed one of the best one-two punches atop a starting rotation, if not the best pairing. Left-handers Tarik Skubal and Valdez are set to lead the rotation, which also features right-hander Jack Flaherty .
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It won't last long.
Three starters – Skubal, Flaherty and right-hander Casey Mize – are set to become free agents after the 2026 season, leaving Valdez, right-hander Reese Olson , right-hander Jackson Jobe and right-hander Troy Melton as the projected starters for 2027.
Valdez has thrown at least 175 innings in each of the past four seasons, including a career-high 201⅓ innings in 2022. That year, his career-best 2.82 ERA in a full season helped him secure a fifth place finish in American League Cy Young voting.
He threw a 93-pitch no-hitter against the Cleveland Guardians in August 2023. The masterpiece marked one of nine complete games and one of three shutouts throughout 188 games (166 starts) in his MLB career, featuring a 3.36 ERA across 1,080⅔ innings.
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The durable Valdez has been on the injured list just twice in the big leagues: a fractured left ring finger in March 2021 and left elbow inflammation in April 2024.
LEFTY TO LEFTY: Tarik Skubal's message to Framber Valdez after signing with Tigers
For his pitch mix, Valdez relies heavily on his 94 mph sinker to produce an elite ground-ball rate.
In 2025, Valdez used 45.2% sinkers, 33.1% curveballs, 17.8% changeups, 3.1% sliders and 0.7% four-seam fastballs. Opponents hit .277 against his sinker but struggled against his curveball, all while his changeup helped him take down right-handed hitters.
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The opportunistic Tigers have executed buzzer-beater additions to their starting rotation in back-to-back free agency, signing Valdez to a three-year contract in 2026 after signing Flaherty to a two-year contract in 2025. Both signings occurred in early February, with less than 10 days before the start of spring training.
Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report Feb. 11 to spring training in Lakeland, Florida.
This year, Valdez will be in TigerTown.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon during the season and Tuesday afternoon during the offseason on Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign Framber Valdez in MLB free agency
