Report: Blue Jays remain interested in Framber Valdez

"The Toronto Blue Jays still appear to be lingering in the starting-pitching market, even after bolstering their staff with Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce this winter, as the New York Post's Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman report they're among several teams interested in Valdez's services. It's worth noting that Toronto's brass expressed interest in Valdez before signing Cease earlier this off-season, and even met with the left-handed starter and his camp at the GM Meetings in November, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith."

"Signing Valdez, who's a qualified free agent, would cost the organization its third- and sixth-round selections in this summer's draft, further depleting their 2026 draft capital. They've already forfeited their second- and fifth-round picks for signing Cease - plus $1 million from their '27 international signing bonus pool - and will have their first-rounder pushed back 10 places for exceeding the luxury tax by at least $40 million last season."

Framber Valdez remains the top free agent still available with pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training. The Toronto Blue Jays remain interested and previously met with Valdez and his camp, despite adding Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. Other teams, notably the Baltimore Orioles, are considered leading candidates to sign the 32-year-old left-hander. The Blue Jays' rotation already lists seven starters, so signing Valdez would be optional and would cost third- and sixth-round draft picks; Toronto has already forfeited other picks and faces a pushed-back first-round pick for exceeding the luxury tax. Valdez leads major-league starters with a 61.6 percent ground-ball rate since 2021.

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