Reports: Tigers, Framber Valdez agree to 3-year, $115M deal

Field Level Media|published: Wed 4th February, 23:37 2026

Sep 14, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Framber Valdez is finally off the market.

Valdez has agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, according to multiple reports.

The contract includes an opt-out after the second season, as well as deferrals, according to The Athletic.

Valdez's new deal is the highest average annual value ever for a southpaw and the highest for a Latin American hurler.

The Dominican starter has spent all eight seasons of his career with the Houston Astros, with whom he made two All-Star teams and posted an ERA of 3.20 since 2021. Valdez's move to Detroit will reunite him with his former manager in Houston, A.J. Hinch.

The 32-year-old Valdez is tied for first in the majors in wins (73), is sixth in pitcher WAR (20.3), fifth in innings pitched (973) and first in groundball rate (62%) since becoming a full-time starter in 2020, according to ESPN. He also won a World Series in 2022.

Valdez joins a rotation currently led by ace and fellow lefty Tariq Skubal, who's undergoing arbitration with the Tigers. Detroit is coming off a wild-card berth last season and a division series appearance, where the team lost to the Seattle Mariners in five games.

The Astros will receive a compensatory pick for losing Valdez after the ace declined the team's $22.025 million qualifying offer before the Nov. 18 deadline.

--Field Level Media

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