The Chicago Cubs took a major step in the right direction during the 2025 season. The National League Central club finished the 2025 campaign with a 92-70 record and got back into the playoffs for the first time since 2020 because of it.
The Cubs then followed up their strong regular season by defeating the San Diego Padres in the MLB Wild Card round, as they won the series 2-1. Yet, unfortunately for the Cubs, they fell to their NL Central Division rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, in the NLDS. The Cubs lost their series to the Brewers 3-2 after they forced Game 5 following being down 2-0 in the series.
Overall, it was a solid year for the Cubs, and they are now looking to build on it by having a big offseason. The Cubs have been linked to an array of top free agents so far this winter, and one of them is All-Star pitcher Framber Valdez. With the Cubs needing another impactful starter, it is easy to understand why they have a pitcher like Valdez on their radar.
Now, the Cubs have gotten an encouraging update on the possibility of them being the winners of the Valdez sweepstakes this offseason.
Cubs Predicted to Sign Framber Valdez in Free Agency
ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently made predictions about where each top remaining MLB free agent will sign this offseason. When it came to Valdez, Schoenfield predicted that the Cubs would be the lucky club that successfully signs him this offseason.
“The Cubs need a top-of-the-rotation starter, a guy they feel more confident handing the ball to in a playoff game than they did with Matthew Boyd or Shota Imanaga. They also have the payroll flexibility to do it, sitting about $22 million below last season’s total,” Schoenfield wrote.
With the Cubs needing to upgrade their rotation with a top pitcher, it would make all the sense in the world for them to make a big-time push for an All-Star pitcher like Valdez. If the Cubs landed him, he would immediately improve their pitching rotation and make them a more difficult team for opponents to go up against.
Valdez is also coming off a very solid season with the Houston Astros. In 31 games for the Astros during the 2025 season, he recorded a 13-11 record, a 3.66 ERA, and 187 strikeouts. This was after he had a 15-7 record and a 2.91 ERA in 28 games for the Astros in 2024. With numbers like these, it is quite clear that he would give the Cubs’ rotation a big boost if signed.
Cubs Have Competition in the Valdez Sweepstakes
While Schoenfield predicted that the Cubs would end up signing Valdez, he also named the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles as potential landing spots for the veteran pitcher.
Given how this past season went for the Mets, it would make sense for them to make a major push for Valdez. They need another star in their rotation, and signing Valdez would provide them with that.
As for the Orioles, they have been aggressive this offseason, as they most notably signed star slugger Pete Alonso. Thus, it would be understandable if they now looked to boost their rotation with a pitcher like Valdez.
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