Left-handed starting pitcher Framber Valdez is still lingering out on the free agent market and hasn't been picked up by a team yet.

There have been a few teams who have apparently checked in with Valdez and his representatives, but nothing has been finalized.

With that in mind, are the San Francisco Giants a solid place for Valdez to land? Maybe not.

Travis Sawchik of MLB.com took an up-close look at potential landing spots for Valdez. The Giants are in his mix, along with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs.

In his article, Sawchik believes that the Giants currently have the weakest projected starting rotation. 

"The Giants have just one lefty projected in their rotation at the moment in Robbie Ray," Sawchik wrote. "While the club added Tyler Mahle to the rotation, they could still benefit from another top-level arm to place alongside Logan Webb."

In using data from FanGraphs.com, Sawchik pointed out depth charts projections from the four teams mentioned. They rank out, entering Jan. 15, this way: Mets 11.8 (17th), Orioles 11.5 (18th), Cubs 11.2 (19th), and Giants 10.4 (24th).

But Sawchik also points out that these numbers show that there's a logjam in these depth chart numbers.

With this information, why should the Giants go ahead and push the button on signing Valdez? Because the team needs a veteran pitcher like Valdez in it.

There's no starting pitcher right now, including Webb, who has the depth of postseason pitching experience Valdez would bring to the Bay Area. Valdez also has one of baseball's wickedest curveballs.

Imagine Valdez throwing that curveball at Oracle Park when not-too-optimum weather conditions are hitting the ballpark. Hitters would be flailing away at that pitch more than they have at Minute Maid Park in recent seasons.

It's also interesting to note how long Valdez has stayed on the free agent market. He was not picked up immediately, leaving a few teams wondering why Valdez didn't get offers early in the market.

As has been noted in some stories about Valdez, he's been known to have a bit of an attitude problem. It popped up here and there while he was with the Houston Astros. The clubhouse there might have done a good job of keeping Valdez's attitude issues kept within its doors.

But there is still time before the Giants get to spring training if they want to make a run at Valdez. By now, he'd be happy if a team signed him ahead of the 2026 MLB season.

Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!

It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!