There’s a saying that gets tossed around a lot in baseball: you can never have too much pitching. Just look at the Dodgers last year.
There’s a saying that gets tossed around a lot in baseball: you can never have too much pitching. Just look at the Dodgers last year. On paper, their rotation was absolutely loaded, yet they still couldn’t keep it together all season. So, that’s exactly why adding another arm is never a bad idea. And the same applies to the Blue Jays!
Despite bringing in guys like Dylan Cease and Tyler Rogers, it would still make sense for the Blue Jays to keep shopping for pitching. Especially since they struck out on Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, there’s still plenty of money left to play with. But the twist? One of their division rivals is already rumored to be throwing around cash for an $18-million pitcher, and, of course, the Jays’ name is in that same rumor mill too.
“But at this point, as I mean, let’s be honest here. The only real starting pitcher that’s worth going after if you’re the Jays is Framber Valdez because you do have an abundance of starting pitchers now,” Jays Digest’s Nick Gosse breaks down the next target for the Blue Jays.
Well, you could argue the Blue Jays already have more than enough starting pitching. Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, Cody Ponce, there’s no shortage of arms in Toronto. Still, Gosse believes there’s room for Framber Valdez in that mix. And honestly, it’s hard to rule the Jays out.
Spotrac currently projects Valdez’s market value at about $33 million AAV, with a potential deal landing around six years and roughly $200 million. And considering the Jays were willing to dream on Kyle Tucker at $400 million or Bo Bichette at $200 million, the money for Valdez is clearly there. And the performance backs it up: in 2025, Valdez logged a 3.66 ERA over 192 innings, struck out 187 batters, and made 31 starts, about as dependable as it gets.
But here’s the twist: the Orioles are lurking!
According to Ken Rosenthal, Baltimore is very much in the Valdez sweepstakes as well. They have Kyle Bradish as their current ace, but durability is a real concern. Trevor Rogers looked like an ace last season, yet he comes with his own injury questions. Hence, the Orioles still lack that rock-solid ace you need to win a World Series. Valdez, a proven World Series champion, checks that box.
So now? A divisional tug-of-war between the Orioles and Blue Jays might be just getting started.
The Blue Jays have multi-dimensional challenges
It’s not just the Orioles complicating things for the Blue Jays in the Framber Valdez sweepstakes. There’s another serious contender in the mix: the Padres. And unlike Toronto, San Diego actually needs the pitching help.
Well, the Padres do have Joe Musgrove, but he’s coming back from Tommy John surgery. They’re also banking on Nick Pivetta to recreate his 2025 heroics, which is far from a sure thing, and while Michael King is in the picture, we all know how brutal it is to survive a 162-game season with thin depth. So, that’s where Valdez fits perfectly.
He wouldn’t just raise the ceiling on that rotation, but also provide a much-needed safety net.
The big question, though, is money. Valdez is expected to command a massive deal, and while the Padres may want him badly, can they really go dollar-for-dollar with the Blue Jays? That’s where things get interesting, and where the doubts start to creep in.
The post Orioles Braced for Offseason Shock as Blue Jays Told to Target $18M Free Agent After Bo Bichette Miss appeared first on EssentiallySports.
Category: General Sports
