"The Pirates have emerged as a surprise entrant in the Framber Valdez market, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who calls the Bucs "one of the most aggressive clubs" in their pursuit of the star left-hander. Valdez rejected a qualifying offer from the Astros at the start of the offseason and would cost the Pirates their third-highest selection in the 2026 draft if a deal were to come together."
"Trade targets have thinned out as the offseason has worn on, but the Pirates could always try to engage with the D-backs on Ketel Marte, the Red Sox on Jarren Duran (or Wilyer Abreu), or the Nationals on , speculatively speaking. There are surely some other names who'd be available if the Pirates, depending on which young arms the Pirates were to make available. Paul Skenes, of course, is wholly off limits."
The Pirates have emerged as a surprise entrant pursuing Framber Valdez and are reportedly among the most aggressive clubs in that pursuit. Valdez rejected a qualifying offer from Houston and signing him would cost Pittsburgh its third-highest selection in the 2026 draft. Adding Valdez could let the Pirates convert pitching depth into lineup upgrades by trading some of their young arms. Paul Skenes is off-limits, but Pittsburgh has Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones (returning from UCL surgery), Hunter Barco, Thomas Harrington, Wilber Dotel and recent draftee Seth Hernandez ready or close to MLB duty. Pairing Valdez with Skenes would yield a top-tier one-two punch, and Valdez has compiled 767 2/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 23.9% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate and a 60% ground-ball rate.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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