SF Giants surprisingly met with Astros ace despite hefty price tag

It’s hot stove season at the Winter Meetings. The tires are gaining traction and rumblings are happening everywhere. The biggest set of rumblings for the SF Giants lies on the mound. They’ve been circling around Zac Gallen, and even MacKenzie Gore could be a potential target if they go the trade route. One of the biggest free agents out there is front-line starter Framber Valdez. 

Per Jon Morosi, the Giants reportedly met with Framber Valdez at the GM meetings last month. With Dylan Cease off the board after signing with the Toronto Blue Jays, Valdez is the next best option when it comes to the starting pitchers available in free agency. Also in the mix are the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. Both of those teams are in desperate need of a front-line starter. 

The Giants reportedly meeting with Valdez comes as a bit of a surprise because all offseason we have heard about how the Giants are reluctant to pursue a pitcher on a long-ter, nine-figure contract which is exactly what Valdez is likely to command.

SF Giants reportedly met with Framber Valdez at GM meetings

From a baseball standpoint Valdez makes plenty of sense for the Giants. All winter long, it’s been noted that they need more upside in their rotation behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. There’s plenty to love about Valdez if you are coveting him and the upside he brings is similar to what Webb does. 

If you take out the incident with his catcher this past year, Valdez is a great talent. He has been the definition of consistency for the Astros, never having above a 3.70 ERA in a single season dating back to 2020. Matching up with his ERA was his FIP, showcasing how good he was pitching. 

When you look at a pitcher like Logan Webb, one thing he does well is put the ball on the ground. Constantly he has had a ground ball rate north of 50% every season of his career. Also, he's much more than that, as he has great command and limits walks. Being a ground ball pitcher has its perks, especially with the infield defense he has behind him. For Valdez, he would have that same type of benefit. 

Valdez has been a ground ball pitcher his entire career. The lowest rate he had was in 2023 with 55.7%. Aside from that he ranges from 60-70% and saw himself ranked in the 97th percentile for ground ball rate this season. With Willy Adames and Matt Chapman behind him, it's not a bad idea to sing a pithcer like Valdez who puts the ball on the ground so regularly. 

It does go beyond that though. Valdez has a reliable pitch mix, as his fastball run value was among the best in the league this season. Also, his curveball had a .193 batting average against and a whiff rate above 40%. His other secondaries play really well too and overall there is plenty to work with if you are the Giants staff. 

Valdez is 32 years old and the length of his contract and his salary will be the biggest key in figuring out a deal. How much are the Giants willing to pony up money wise? If they go the cost efficient route, this isn’t the right guy to pursue. But Valdez has enormous upside and gives the Giants a better competitive window to reaching their ultimate goal.