At the beginning of the off-season, Just Baseball’s Editor-In-Chief Ryan Finkelstein compiled a list of the top free agents with predictions for where they would land. As time went on and players fell off the board, new players would take their spot.
Using this list as a baseline, let’s take a look at the Top 10 remaining starting pitchers that are still on the market.
1. Framber Valdez
2025 Stats: 13-11 || 31 GS || 192.0 IP || 3.66 ERA || 3.37 FIP || 1.24 WHIP || 187 K || 4.0 fWAR
Age in 2026: 32
One of the two big name free agent starting pitchers remaining, Framber Valdez is looking to cash in after eight seasons with the Houston Astros. During his tenure, he pitched to a 3.36 ERA, 3.51 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP on his way to two All-Star appearances and a World Series title.
Last season, Valdez experienced a down year by his standards, posting a 3.66 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. His 46.3% hard hit rate (3rd percentile) was his worst in five seasons, and his 8.5% walk rate his worst in four seasons. Still, there are more pitchers than not that would signs up for this “down season” in a heartbeat. That is how good Valdez has been so far in his career.
The elephant in the room that is the now-infamous cross-up incident between him and catcher César Salazar remains. Valdez and his agent have assured teams that he has since cleared the air, and that one incident does not define who he is as a person.
Entering his age-32 season, Valdez is looking for what possibly could be his last big payday. The qualifying offer being attached to him has made some teams think hard on the decision to both pay him and lose both a draft pick and bonus pool money. Still, Valdez has more than proven he can step right in amongst the top of a rotation and lead a ball club throughout a season.