If the Yankees were to lose out on Cody Bellinger, there’s some discourse about whether they would sign someone like Framber Valdez or not, but Jack Curry poured cold water on that idea.
He said he was ‘not under the impression’ that acquiring Valdez is something the Yankees would do in the scenario that Bellinger departed elsewhere.
The left-hander spent this past season with the Houston Astros where he has been for the entirety of his career, and while he’s the best free-agent starter on the market, there isn’t much interest from them in his services.
His public outburst following a Trent Grisham grand slam was something they had front-row seats to see, as they witnessed him throw at Cesar Salazar his catcher in frustration right after.
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Framber Valdez Is Not a Backup Plan For the Yankees If They Lose Cody Bellinger
During the 2025 season Framber Valdez posted a 3.66 ERA and 23.3% K% for the Astros, logging 192 innings as he’s been a workhorse for the Houston Astros for nearly a decade.
The left-hander has taken off in his late-20s and hits free agency at the age of 32 with a chance to get a high AAV low-term deal if teams don’t show interest in giving him a big contract given some of his previous issues.
A few variables are working against Valdez, including the Qualifying Offer which would cost a team two draft picks and the fact that his aforementioned attitude issues seem to be turning some teams off.
Ryan Weathers was traded to the Yankees from the Marlins last week, and according to Jack Curry they remain engaged in discussions for pitching support, although the prices remain very high.
With Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore being pitchers they’ve discussed in the trade market, the Yankees are still looking to try and improve their rotation if they can.
That being said, they like their current pitching depth and are comfortable with not adding another starter if the market doesn’t align with what Brian Cashman is willing to deal out of the farm system.