The Tigers might have the best one-two pitching punch in baseball next season.
Star left-hander Framber Valdez has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with the Tigers, making him the highest-paid southpaw in MLB history and giving Detroit a lethal duo with Tarik Skubal at the top of the rotation.
Valdez, a two-time All-Star with the Astros where he played under A.J. Hinch for two seasons, had a 3.66 ERA in 31 starts for Houston last year. He's a contact-oriented pitcher who can still induce plenty of whiffs with one of the best curveballs in the business.
Over the last five seasons, Valdez has won the most games in the majors and ranks first among starting pitchers in ground ball rate, fifth in innings pitched and ninth in WAR. His ERA over that stretch is 3.20. He has been one of the sturdiest, stingiest arms in baseball for the last half decade.
Valdez, who turned 32 in November, scuffled at the end of last season but was arguably the top pitcher in free agency this winter. His market was slow to develop, but Scott Harris and the Tigers appear to have played it perfectly. The contract comes with an opt-out for Valdez after the second season, per ESPN. It also bumps the Tigers' payroll to the 11th highest in the majors and more than $40 million higher than any other AL Central foe.
With a salary of $38 million per year, Valdez becomes the second highest-paid pure pitcher in baseball (excluding dual-hitter Shohei Ohtani) behind Zach Wheeler of the Phillies. Skubal will likely reset the market next winter with a deal that could push $50 million per year. If that leaves the Tigers out of the bidding, they will have a competent replacement at the top of their rotation.
In the meantime, they are loading up for a run at the World Series with Skubal and Valdez leading the way.