According to ESPN’s Jeff Passanthe Tigers and Framber Valdez have agreed to a three-year contract worth $115 million.
Valdez spent his entire Major League career with the Houston Astros. He was signed as an international free agent in 2015 and made his MLB debut in 2018.
Valdez, a 32-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic, is a two-time All-Star and World Series champion.
He boasts a career record of 81-52 with an ERA of 3.36.
Detroit Tigers are making a huge move by signing LHP Framber Valdez
According to ESPN, Valdez’s new contract will have the highest average annual value ever for a left-handed pitcher. He also just became the highest-paid Latin American pitcher in MLB history.
Before he hit free agency, the Astros offered him a qualifying offer of $22.025 million, but he turned it down. As a result of his signing with Detroit, the Astros will receive a compensatory selection following the Competitive Balance Round B in the 2026 MLB Draft. That’s expected to be around pick No. 75.
Since becoming a full-time starting pitcher in 2020, Valdez ranks first in wins (73), sixth in pitcher WAR (20.3), fifth in innings pitched (973) and first in groundball percentage (62.%).
Now there are only two questions left for the Tigers, and both involve Detroit’s current Cy Young pitcher, Tarik Skubal.
The first: Who’s pitching on Opening Day?
The second: How can the Tigers afford Skubal moving forward? He will likely become a free agent after the 2026 season.
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