Blue Jays Maintain Strong Interest in Framber Valdez
The Toronto Blue Jays are maintaining a strong interest in free agent pitcher Framber Valdez, according to reports from Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. The Jays met with Valdez during the General Managers Meetings earlier this month. This meeting took place before they signed pitcher Dylan Cease to a substantial seven-year contract valued at $210 million.
Framber Valdez: Key Player in the Free Agent Market
Valdez stands out as one of the last impactful players available in the current free agent pool. He is considered the highest-upside pitcher remaining. Although there are various unsigned starting pitchers available, most do not rank as top-tier options. Among those includes Zac Gallen, who opted not to accept a qualifying offer.
Valdez’s Performance and Current Status
- Valdez is regarded as a high-end #2 starter with ace potential.
- He ranked in the top 10 for Cy Young voting from 2022 to 2024.
- In the first half of the previous season, he had a strong performance with a 2.75 ERA.
- However, his performance declined significantly in the latter half, resulting in a 5.20 ERA over his last 12 starts.
This decline followed an incident involving catcher César Salazar, where Valdez hit Salazar with a fastball, leading to public scrutiny about his reactions. Astros management maintained they did not believe this was intentional.
Contract Negotiations and Market Considerations
Entering his age-32 season, signing longer-term contracts is less common for pitchers of this age. Notably, only Blake Snell and Jacob deGrom have secured five-year deals at age 32 or older in the past decade. Valdez’s current market situation is concerning, as players remaining unsigned into February often face challenges in contract negotiations.
The Blue Jays have a strong rotation already, featuring pitchers like Gausman, Cease, Shane Bieber, and José Berríos. While they could proceed with their current roster, they continue to explore rotation enhancements. Reports suggest they may also consider re-signing Max Scherzer, although this option would be significantly cheaper than pursuing Valdez.
Financial Implications of Signing Valdez
Toront’s payroll is positioned around $310 million, a franchise record. Adding Valdez could lift their total commitments close to $340 million, further increasing their luxury tax liabilities. If Valdez’s potential salary reaches $30 million, it would result in a total financial impact of approximately $57 million, after accounting for taxes.
Valdez comes with the requirement of draft compensation. However, since the Jays have already signed Cease, they would not face severe repercussions regarding draft picks. They would potentially sacrifice their third and fifth-round selections, which are outside the top 100 overall.
Despite these complexities, the Blue Jays are still keenly interested in Valdez, amid indications from Astros management that they have not actively pursued the pitcher in recent discussions.
