Finally, finally, finally, the Detroit Tigers put their money where their ace is.
On the same day that they argued against superstar hurler Tarik Skubal in the most divergent arbitration hearing in MLB history, the club made its most significant signing of the decade. Framber Valdez, the best consensus free agent left on the market, is joining the Tigers on a three-year, $115 million deal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The contract features the single largest annual salary ever for a left-handed pitcher ($38.3 million) and contains an opt-out after the second season.
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For Valdez, it’s a lucrative end to a tumultuous winter. Despite a top-tier résumé, the dreadlocked Dominican lingered on the shelf like an unripe banana. Rumors of potential suitors swirled and swirled, with the Orioles, Braves, Blue Jays, Pirates, Mets and Giants all linked to the 32-year-old. But in the end, Detroit emerged from its haze of inactivity with a rather large bag of money and secured the lefty’s services.
Valdez and his agents were likely hoping for a lengthier pact, something in the six- or seven-year range. Perhaps Valdez’s age — he turns 33 in November — made executives skittish about a long-term commitment. Perhaps clubs viewed him more as a dependable No. 2 starter than as a true frontline monster. Perhaps concerns about his makeup — Valdez had a bizarre incident last season in which he appeared to purposefully mislead his catcher, leading to the catcher being hit in the mask — really did scare some teams away. But in the end, Valdez’s assets outweighed his flaws, at least in the opinion of Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris and his front office.
Given Valdez’s track record, it’s unsurprising that somebody finally gave him nine figures. He is one of only two pitchers to throw at least 175 innings in each of the past four seasons. Among active pitchers, he is fourth in career postseason innings behind the imposing trio of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2020, Valdez leads qualified starters in groundball rate. His surface numbers took a step back in 2025, but his peripherals stayed relatively in line with career norms.
Valdez weaponizes one of the game’s more unique mixes, a sinker-curveball combo that works against righties and lefties. How his groundball-heavy style jells with the Tigers’ infield defense will be something to monitor. Detroit’s dirtmen ranked 25th last year in outs above average among MLB infields. Colt Keith is below average at third, Gleyber Torres is shoddy at second, and the rotating cast of characters at shortstop — Javier Báez, Zach McKinstry and Trey Sweeney — are subpar in the aggregate.
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But even if Detroit’s infielders don’t compete for Gold Gloves, Valdez should be an upgrade for a rotation that had some holes last year behind the back-to-back Cy Young. Jack Flaherty was merely average in 2025. Casey Mize rode a strong first half to the All-Star Game but tailed off down the stretch. Reese Olson made 13 good starts before a shoulder issue sidelined him for the second half. Former top prospect Jackson Jobe will be out most of this season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. It wasn’t exactly the most thrilling group; now they don’t have to be because Valdez changes the dynamic.
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So far this offseason, Detroit had garnered ample criticism from pundits for adopting a passive approach ahead of what might be Skubal’s final season in town. The back-to-back Cy Young is set to hit free agency next winter, barring an unforeseen extension with Detroit. On Wednesday, team and player went to battle over Skubal’s 2026 salary in an arbitration hearing of great importance. As of Wednesday night, the result of that hearing was unknown.
Many believed the Tigers’ passivity was related to the uncertainty with Skubal’s salary; whether he’d receive $32 million or $19 million seemed to be keeping Detroit in a holding pattern. Before Wednesday, their only major offseason moves had involved relievers (Kenley Jansen, Drew Anderson), returners (Gleyber Torres) or both (Kyle Finnegan). Torres accepting the qualifying offer represented a significant financial outlay, but his return didn’t make the Tigers any better.
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And while it’s no fault of Valdez’s, the price attached to his name might end up being something of an anchor for a Tigers club that has been stingy under the current leadership group. Paying $38.3 million per year — the seventh-largest AAV in the game and second-largest for a pitcher behind Zack Wheeler — for a No. 2 starter is a risky bit of business.
There are still myriad questions about whether Detroit has the offensive firepower to win a pennant. Their most productive hitter last season, Riley Greene, had an abysmal second half and ended up leading the American League in strikeouts. The team’s most valuable position player by bWAR was catcher Dillon Dingler, who clocked just 13 home runs. Only one team over the past decade has won a World Series without a position player finishing in the top three of MVP voting. Even with Valdez in the fold, it’s hard to see Detroit bucking that trend.
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With Skubal, anything is possible. But as the previous postseason highlighted, the unicorn can’t do it by his lonesome. Valdez, at the very least, will help the cause. How he and his $38.3 million contract coexist with Skubal, whom the Tigers just argued deserves only $19 million, is an entirely different question.
