"Valdez may be the closest thing to an innings-eater type in the modern era. He led the AL in innings pitched in 2022 (201.1), finishing third in 2023 and sixth in 2025. When his stuff is on, he's a great candidate to go deep into games, completing eight games over the last four seasons. One of those complete games was his 2023 no-hitter, a feat he almost repeated a year later until he lost it with two outs in the 9th inning."
"Over the course of the left-hander's Astros career, he amassed 20.5 fWAR, 3.36 ERA (3.51 FIP), and an 8.7 K/9 over 1080 2/3 innings pitched. After struggling with walks at times over his first four big league seasons, he has become one of the most consistent starters on the market. He was also a guy that Houston relied on in the playoffs in five of the last six years, logging 85.0 innings in that span, more than any pitcher since 2020."
The Blue Jays have a strong starting rotation after Shane Bieber opted into his 2026 deal, pairing Bieber with Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage and leaving room to pursue an additional starter. The club will likely pursue free-agent arms with Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer unsigned and could re-sign an internal free agent. Framber Valdez is a likely high-interest target. The 31-year-old left-hander spent eight seasons with Houston, earning multiple AL Cy Young votes while serving as a durable innings-eater who consistently ranks among league leaders in innings, posts strong peripheral metrics, and contributed extensive playoff innings.
Read at BlueJaysNation
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