Star left-hander Framber Valdez and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a three-year, $115 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
Valdez, 32, gets the highest average annual value ever for a left-handed pitcher, as well as the highest for a Latin American pitcher.
There is an opt-out in the contract after the second season, sources said.
Valdez, who is from the Dominican Republic, hit free agency after spending his career with the Houston Astros and putting up one of the best résumés of any starting pitcher over the past five seasons. The move reunites him with A.J. Hinch, his former manager in Houston.
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Valdez is a dependable lefty with extensive playoff experience who has regularly posted ERAs in the high-2s to mid-3s, averaging 3.20 since 2021, and that mark is driven by the highest ground ball rate in the league among starters in that span. Plus, the velocity of his sinker went up a bit in 2025 after a dip in 2024.
Valdez was tendered a $22.025 million qualifying offer by the Astros, which he declined by the Nov. 18 deadline. Because he signed with a new team, Houston will receive a compensatory selection after the competitive balance round B in the draft, around the 75th pick.
Since 2020, when he became a full-time starter, Valdez is tied for first in the majors in wins (73), is sixth in pitcher WAR (20.3), fifth in innings pitched (973) and first in groundball rate (62%). He led the American League with 201⅓ innings pitched in 2022 and perennially has one of the most effective sinkers in baseball, ranking second this season behind Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez.
Valdez is also tied for first in baseball in a number of postseason-only categories: wins (seven), games started (16) and innings pitched (85.0). He has made two All-Star appearances, received AL MVP votes in two seasons, and received AL Cy Young Award votes in four races, peaking at a fifth-place finish in 2022.
Valdez signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2015, making his big league debut in 2018, and winning a World Series in 2022.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel contributed to this report.
