Spring training is less than a month away for the Baltimore Orioles, and there are still some big-name MLB free agents looking for a home in 2026. The list of free agents got shorter on Wednesday when Cody Bellinger agreed to return to the New York Yankees. That leaves a handful of positional free agents still looking for a new home.
As far as the free agent pitching market goes, there is still one big-name pitcher out there. Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez remains unsigned and is the final pitcher out there who will command a huge deal. Several teams have been linked to the 32-year-old this winter. However, he remains unsigned with spring training inching closer with each passing day.
One team that was linked to him was the New York Mets. They all but eliminated themselves for Valdez by acquiring Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers late on Wednesday night. That is good news for the Orioles in their pursuit of a top-of-the-rotation ace they desperately seek.
Baltimore Orioles Named Logical Landing Spot for Framber Valdez
Peralta was a pitcher who was sought after in the trade market. The Mets paid the hefty price for him and Tobias Myers by sending prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams, two of New York’s top prospects. That leaves the Orioles as the leading landing spot for Valdez, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
“There has been no indication that Valdez’s market has changed much, though the Peralta trade likely takes the Mets out of the mix. That leaves the Orioles as the most logical landing spot for the left-hander, though it remains to be seen whether the 32-year-old can land the long-term deal he’s seeking,” wrote Feinsand.
Baltimore’s president of baseball operations, Mike Elia,s is familiar with Valdez after being part of Houston’s front office early in Valdez’s career there. With February just 10 days away, the MLB calendar is getting smaller. That means a short-term deal might be Valdez’s route to a contract. Would the Orioles and Valdez go short-term? Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently predicted a four-year, $114 million contract. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets near that.
“Based on the calendar and the (seemingly) limited number of suitors, perhaps Valdez will have to settle for a shorter-term, higher-AAV deal the way others in the market have done this offseason. Whether a team — the Orioles or anyone else — will be willing to surrender Draft picks for a short-term deal might be the important question,” pointed out Feinsand.
Orioles Could Really Use Framber Valdez
Baltimore has spent more money than usual this offseason. They landed Mets first baseman Pete Alonso in December. That was the biggest surprise of the Winter Meetings. They also acquired Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels in a trade.
As far as their pitching goes, it still needs a top arm. Their projected rotation right now is Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Zach Eflin, and Dean Kremer. That is a rotation that needs a pitcher like Valdez at the top to compete in the loaded American League East.
The Toronto Blue Jays, Yankees, and Boston Red Sox all got better. If the Baltimore Orioles are going to keep pace, another arm is necessary, and Valdez would be the perfect fit.
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