The Boston Red Sox have starting pitching at the top of their list of offseason needs, and there plenty of options they could pursue on both the free agent and trade markets.
The Red Sox have been linked to multiple pitchers in both categories, including Joe Ryan, Freddy Peralta and Dylan Cease. Most recently, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic has named Boston an ideal fit for longtime Houston Astros lefty, Framber Valdez.
"Valdez is essentially certain to leave the Astros in free agency. Many in the industry point to the Boston Red Sox as an obvious fit. They, too, need durable starting pitching," Bannon wrote.
Bannon pointed to Alex Cora and Alex Bregman as potential connections to Valdez — Cora served as a bench coach for the Astros and Bregman spent nine years in the organization, which overlapped with Valdez's tenure in Houston. But Valdez's perceived presence in the clubhouse could be the biggest demerit in the eyes of clubs that would otherwise pursue him.
The southpaw has a history of tense interactions with his former Astros teammates. He made headlines in 2025 after he was accused of purposely crossing up his catcher, César Salazar. After giving up a grand slam on September 3, Valdez threw Salazar a pitch he wasn't expecting, which hit him in the chest at nearly 93 miles per hour. Valdez attested that it was an accident, but the incident and subsequent conversation with Astros manager Joe Espada hasn't reflected favorably on him.
Red Sox linked to longtime Astros starter Framber Valdez, but his reputation could deter them from signing him
Valdez's emotions on the mound are often palpable, and he doesn't shy away from reacting if a pitch or defensive play doesn't go his way. Bannon's colleague at The Athletic, Chandler Rome, makes a salient point that language barriers and culture could impact how Valdez is perceived — rather than being seen as passionate, like Max Scherzer, for example, Valdez's actions could be interpreted as more aggressive.
Signing someone with a questionable reputation in the clubhouse probably isn't high on many teams' lists, which could explain Valdez's attendance at the 2025 GM meetings. The veteran could've been trying to get a sense of his market, or improve it, by chatting with executives around the league.
Despite Valdez's alleged vibes on and off the field, he still has some qualities the Red Sox would love in a starting pitcher. He's posted a 3.36 ERA over 1080.2 innings in his eight-year career with the Astros. He tends to keep the ball on the ground, which is ideal for a team that plays half its games in Fenway Park, and he's exceedingly durable. He's posted over 176 innings in every season since 2022 and over 190 in three of those years. He's earned Cy Young Award votes four times and MVP votes twice.
Every player has their drawbacks, and Valdez struggles with adversity and strong emotions. His history could shrink his market, or even lower his contract asking price, which could make the Red Sox more willing to take a risk to bring him in. His reputation in the clubhouse could color Boston's perception of him, however, and we all saw how its latest contract with a player who has a history of dust-ups with management ended.