New York.- Dominican pitcher Framber Valdez is recognized as one of the best free agents on the market, however, he has not been able to get the deal he wants.
Various reports have linked him to the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and both New York teams, the Yankees and Mets. For the Cubs, Valdez would bolster a rotation that features Matthew Boyd, who looked excellent in 2025, but is about to turn 35 and just had his first healthy season since 2019. Cade Horton has made just 22 starts in the majors. Shota Imanaga, who was hit hard in the second half of 2025.
Valdez would become the star of that rotation, not only would he bring the most polished record of any free agent starter — averaging 30 starts per year and a 3.21 earned run average since 2022 — but his groundball-centric approach would look great on a team with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner soaking up any hit headed to the infield.
