The Jays already have several starters, so do they really need to spend on the All-Star lefty?
On Saturday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wondered if the Toronto Blue Jays could be a fit for left-hander Framber Valdez in free agency. With Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Munetaka Murakami, Ranger Suarez and others off the board, Valdez is the last remaining "big-name" free agent on the market.
The Blue Jays of course have contributed to that, signing Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers and Kazuma Okamoto to long-term deals this winter as they chase the World Series that eluded them in 2025.
What Feinsand is saying
Toronto clearly has money to spend, evidenced by its serious bid for Kyle Tucker. Whether the Blue Jays want to spend it on a pitcher remains to be seen, but with their current all-right-handed rotation, bringing in a proven left-hander could be appealing. Also of note: Gausman and Bieber are slated to become free agents next winter, so signing Valdez would help stabilize the rotation for 2027 and beyond.
About Valdez
An eight-year veteran of the Houston Astros, Valdez is a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion (2022). Lifetime, he's gone 81-52 with a 3.36 ERA, and he has five consecutive double-digit win seasons. Remarkably durable, he's made at least 28 starts in four straight campaigns. He led the American League in innings pitched (201.1) in 2022.
He also threw a non-hitter in 2023.
Would he make sense?
To Feinsand's point, he would absolutely help protect against Gausman and Bieber leaving after the 2026 season, and the Jays can afford him with those two and George Springer coming off the books after the year.
Also, we just saw the Boston Red Sox pivot from run-scoring options on the market to run prevention options by signing Suarez, so perhaps the Jays could double down on pitching in the wake of losing Bichette to the New York Mets.
However, there are major questions about how the pitching staff would work this season if a Valdez signing happened. Would the newly-signed Ponce really go to the bullpen? Can the team afford three long men in relief with Ponce, Jose Berrios and Eric Lauer? Would they trade one of those two? Would they be willing to cut Berrios entirely?
How about the money?
Given that Valdez is 32, it feels like the max he could get is five years, but perhaps the Jays could get him for three or four at a higher annual value. Either way, the total value of a deal shouldn't come close to eclipsing the $130 million deal that Suarez got from Boston.
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