Cubs Again Named Perfect Landing Spot For $200 Million Ace

Is he out of the Cubs' price range?

Cubs Jersey | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and manager Craig Counsell have been extremely vocal about focusing on the starting rotation this offseason.

The team needs another arm on their pitching staff to avoid a repeat of their 2025 postseason, where they quickly fell into a 2-0 hole in the NLDS that they couldn't crawl out of. With injuries to Justin Steele and Cade Horton, they leaned on Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga, as there weren't any other options.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn (28) hits a three-run home run off Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cubs a perfect landing spot for top free agent

The Cubs started the offseason in a bidding war to land strikeout machine Dylan Cease, only to lose out to the Blue Jays. Now they are tied to another top arm, Framber Valdez, who many think would make an excellent addition to their pitching staff, including MLB journalist Andrew Simon.

"...his grounder-heavy approach would look great on a team with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner vacuuming up anything hit to the middle infield," said Simon.

When hitters make contact with Valdez, it's typically going back into the field and not up in the air. While this might not be enticing for other teams, it is for a defensive powerhouse like the Cubs.

Framber Valdez | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

It isn't just Swanson and Hoerner who are capable of cleaning up any ball that comes their way. The infield also consists of third baseman Matt Shaw, who was a finalist for a Gold Glove in his first season in the majors.

Meanwhile, the Cubs outfield for 2026 consists of 4x Gold Glove Award winner Ian Happ, as well as Pete Crow-Armstrong commanding the field from the center, who just took home his first defensive honor this season.

With players like this standing behind Valdez, it seems safe to say he would be even better than he already is as a 2x All-Star.

Valdez with the Astros

Framber Valdez releasing a pitch for the Astros in an orange uniform | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Valdez has spent his entire career with the Astros, and in the last four years, he has turned into a workhorse, averaging 30 starts per season. And over that time he has been fairly exceptional, averaging from 2022 to 2025 14 wins per season, a 3.21 ERA, 188 strikeouts per season, and a 1.16 WHIP.

There is no question that Valdez would look even better with the Cubs' defense behind him. This is a pitcher who would be an excellent complement to rookie sensation Cade Horton and would definitely give an edge to the Cubs and their pitching staff.

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