Framber Valdez Lands in Detroit - and the Pirates' "Pursuit" Might’ve Been More Smoke Than Fire
When Framber Valdez signed his three-year, $113 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, the ripple effect across the league was immediate. Valdez wasn’t just a top-tier arm on the market - he was a lefty with postseason experience, groundball dominance, and enough upside to make even the most cautious front offices take notice.
And notice they did.
The Padres reportedly made a late push. The Blue Jays stayed in the mix.
The Orioles, ever the quiet contenders, never really bowed out. The Twins were lurking.
But it was the Tigers - led by manager A.J. Hinch, who knows Valdez from their Houston days - who stepped up and closed the deal.
One team that didn’t show up in the post-signing chatter? The Pittsburgh Pirates.
That stood out, especially after a report from Ken Rosenthal had dropped just hours earlier, claiming Pittsburgh was “aggressively pursuing” Valdez following their swing-and-miss on Eugenio Suárez. For a fan base hungry for a bold move, it was a glimmer of hope. But in hindsight, it looks more like a strategic name-drop than a sign of serious intent.
Let’s break this down.
Checking In vs. Chasing Hard
In free agency, there’s a world of difference between “checking in” and “being in.” Teams call agents all the time to get a feel for price tags, timelines, and fit.
It’s standard operating procedure. But when a team is truly in the hunt - when there’s real money, real years, and real urgency on the table - you usually hear about it after the ink dries.
In Valdez’s case, the post-signing reports all pointed to Detroit and a familiar group of mid-to-large market clubs. No Pittsburgh.
No whispers of a close second. No “we almost had him.”
That kind of silence usually tells you everything you need to know.
The Leverage Game
This has all the hallmarks of a classic leverage play. Drop Pittsburgh’s name - a team with payroll flexibility and a recent history of kicking the tires on big names like Kyle Schwarber and Suárez - and suddenly the market tightens. Other teams, sensing competition, might move quicker or sweeten their offers.
And it worked. Valdez got his payday.
There’s no shame in the game here. Agents do this all the time.
It’s part of the dance. And Pittsburgh, whether knowingly or not, played their part.
Reading the Breadcrumbs
When the Pirates are truly serious about a player, there are usually signs: leaked contract details, whispers of structure, or at least consistent follow-up reporting. With Valdez, none of that was there. The buzz came on fast, burned hot for a day, then disappeared without a trace.
That’s not how real pursuits usually end. That’s how leverage plays wrap up.
A Familiar Frustration in Pittsburgh
For Pirates fans, this is a familiar story. The team gets mentioned in connection with a big name, hope flares up, and then - nothing.
It’s not that the front office is lying or doing nothing. They probably did their homework, made a call, asked the question.
But being mentioned in the same breath as the Tigers, Padres, or Blue Jays doesn’t mean they were in the same bidding war.
Sometimes, you’re just the name that helps get the deal done - for someone else.
And that’s the reality here. Valdez was a hot commodity.
The Tigers made the real push. The Pirates, whether they were ever truly in or not, ended up being a useful name in the agent’s playbook.
It’s not a betrayal. It’s not even a surprise. It’s just how the game is played.