When the Detroit Tigers signed Framber Valdez back in February, right before spring training started, they were hoping he was going to give them durability in the starting rotation behind ace Tarik Skubal . Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned in terms of wins and losses for the Tigers, who traded Skubal at the trade deadline to the Los Angeles Dodgers .
Valdez, however, has been as good as Detroit had hoped he would be in terms of durability this season. With Casey Mize was also traded at the deadline to the San Diego Padres , Valdez took over as the de facto ace for the rest of the season and maybe going into next season.
He made what could have been his final start of the 2026 season against the Washington Nationals at Comerica Park on Wednesday afternoon. After he threw his first pitch in the game, he joined some select company, despite lasting just 5.1 innings.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Framber Valdez Credit: Rick Osentoski | Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Valdez started well, retiring the first nine Nationals he faced before he ran into trouble in the sixth inning. However, Wednesday marked his 31st start of the season and according to the Detroit News ' Chris McCosky , Valdez joined Kevin Gausman , Aaron Nola and Logan Gilbert as the only pitchers that have matched that number of starts in the same time span.
Against Washington on Wednesday, Valdez allowed four hits, two earned runs, walked three and struck out six before being lifted by Hinch. He faced 22 batters and threw 87 pitches. At this point in the season and with Detroit out of the postseason picture, there was no need to push him further on a cool day in the Motor City.
The 32-year-old Valdez had a lot of issues inside the Houston Astros clubhouse and with teammates on the field, but what can't be denied is his durability. The only season when Valdez failed to reach 31 starts was 2024, but he still made 28 starts and went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA. Valdez finished seventh in the Cy Young voting that season, which was won by Skubal.
There are some big decisions facing the Tigers' front office this season and one of them will be how they are going to go about rebuilding their rotation. Sure, Skubal could come back, but that seems like a dream at this point. There is also the looming lockout this winter, which could create more delays in decisions, but building a rotation around Valdez is something that Detroit needs to do. One thing they can count on with the left-hander is durability, something that was on display this season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/tigers/onsi as Tigers Framber Valdez Joined Select Company in Start Against Nationals .
