Insider Reveals Why Mets Were 'Surely Out' on Framber Valdez

On the evening of February 4, news broke that former Houston Astros southpaw pitcher Framber Valdez had signed a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers in free agency.

This move was somewhat surprising, given that Detroit wasn't listed as one of the most likely fits for Valdez. The Tigers aren't typically seen as major spenders, which has been a common point of discourse this offseason because of the ongoing salary and arbitration negotiations between them and two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal.

Some thought that the Tigers' signing of Valdez was their way of signaling that they're open to parting ways with Skubal. But that now does not seem to be the case, as the team has stated that they want to keep Skubal around for at least the next season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal high-fives teammates. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This isn't good news for the New York Mets, as they would seemingly be among the top potential destinations for Skubal if the Tigers were to deal him this winter. Valdez's signing also didn't seem like good news for New York, given that they were in the running to sign him earlier in the winter.

Insider Explains How Mets' Freddy Peralta Trade Halted Framber Valdez Pursuit

The Mets were in on Valdez at the beginning of the offseason because they were clearly in need of a frontline starting pitcher. However, they got their guy when trading for former Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta last month.

And in a February 5 article, New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman conveyed that as soon as they executed the trade for Peralta, the Mets were "surely out" on Valdez.

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) delivers a pitch. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

There were some questions about Valdez's character heading into this offseason. This stemmed from the fact that he appeared to intentionally cross up his catcher, Cesar Salazar, right after giving up a home run during the Astros' September 2 game against the Yankees.

The pitch was a 93 miles per hour fastball right down the middle that Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe took for a strike. While this should have been an easy catch, the ball bounced off Salazar's chest protector. He then looked to Valdez in confusion, who had turned his back to Salazar in apparent frustration.

There’s speculation that Astros pitcher Framber Valdez purposely crossed up his catcher Cesar Salazar and hit him with this pitch after Salazar told him to step off before allowing a grand slam pic.twitter.com/ds3c9MzQV6
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 3, 2025

While it's ultimately unclear whether Valdez crossed Salazar up on purpose, what's for sure is that Freddy Peralta is beloved by teammates and has never had a potential controversy of this sort.

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Insider Explains How Mets' Freddy Peralta Trade Halted Framber Valdez Pursuit

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