Blue Jays Have Continued Interest In Framber Valdez

"Valdez is arguably the last impact player available on the open market. He's certainly the highest-upside player remaining. There's a decent supply of unsigned starting pitching, but most other players fit in the middle or back of the rotation. That includes Zac Gallen, the only other free agent who rejected a qualifying offer. Valdez is at least a high-end #2 starter and has ace potential."

"The southpaw finished top 10 in Cy Young voting each season from 2022-24. He looked on that pace through the All-Star Break last year, turning in a 2.75 earned run average over 19 starts. Things went off the rails in the second half, as Valdez surrendered a 5.20 ERA over his final 12 starts. He also had the much publicized cross-up incident with third catcher César Salazar."

Toronto remains engaged in pursuit of free-agent starter Framber Valdez, meeting him during November GM Meetings prior to signing Dylan Cease. Valdez stands out as the highest-upside available pitcher and projects as at least a high-end #2 with potential to reach ace level. He produced top-10 Cy Young finishes from 2022-24, with a 2.75 ERA over 19 first-half starts in 2024 before a 5.20 ERA across his final 12 starts. A cross-up incident with catcher César Salazar drew public scrutiny. Valdez enters free agency at age 32, complicating prospects for multi-year deals and altering market interest.

Read at MLB Trade Rumors