While it’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the San Francisco Giants and many of the top available free agents have been signed, some top names remain available. One such name who has recently been tied to the team is starting pitcher Framber Valdez.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on December 25 that the Giants, along with the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, “are among the teams that met with star free agent pitcher Framber Valdez.”
Valdez, a two-time All-Star, posted a 3.66 ERA with a 1.245 WHIP, along with 187 strikeouts in 192 innings over 31 starts for the Houston Astros in 2025.
Valdez would be an upgrade to the starting rotation that the Giants need.
San Francisco Giants Need More Innings From the Starting Rotation
When we look at Valdez’s numbers in 2025, the two numbers that really stand out are the 192 innings and 31 starts. Those numbers largely fall in line with the rest of his career, as Valdez has been an innings eater in Houston.
From 2022-2025, Valdez averaged roughly 192 innings and 30 starts a year. The only season where he went under those totals was 2024, when Valdez logged 178.1 innings pitched in 28 starts. So, whoever ends up signing Valdez knows that at the very least, he’s going to take the ball. That’s what the Giants need.
The Giants had only four pitchers, Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Justin Verlander and Landon Roupp, who exceeded 100 innings pitched in 2025. Of those, only Webb and Ray topped 180. Verlander, who was third on the team with 152, is a free agent.
Just getting those innings from another starter can do wonders for the entire pitching staff.
San Francisco got 837 innings out of the starting rotation in 2025, the 17th-best total in the league. Naturally, if a team is not getting a lot of innings out of its starters, it is getting a lot out of the bullpen. If that bullpen is not deep with several quality arms, it will wear down as the season progresses. That’s exactly what happened to the Giants in 2025.
Bryan Murphy of McCovey Chronicles detailed how much the bullpen struggled in September of last season.
“Their 4.39 ERA was not the worst in the sport (it was merely 20th), nor was their 4.31 FIP (21st); and yet, because the group couldn’t strike anybody out (7.1 K/9 — worst in the sport) and because their expected FIP (xFIP) of 4.56 was third-worst (behind the Nationals and Phillies), Giants relievers amounted to -0.6 fWAR, the worst in the sport,” Murphy wrote.
Grant Brisbee of The Athletic, meanwhile, detailed how the Giants are putting a bullpen of talented, yet injured, pitchers together for 2026. That only increases the need to get more quality innings out of the starting rotation.
Oracle Park Remains Pitcher-Friendly
While Valdez is a reliable innings eater, some understandable trepidation can be had with the rest of his 2025 numbers. While the 3.66 ERA and 1.245 WHIP aren’t terrible, they’re not eye-popping either. More concern comes when we compare those numbers to 2022-2024, when Valdez put up a cumulative 3.06 ERA and 1.131 WHIP.
This, though, is where we have to remember where the Giants play half of their games. Oracle Park, while often frustrating for hitters, is great for pitchers. In 2025, it was ranked as the third-best pitcher’s park in MLB. So, while it’s understandable to have some concern that the now 32-year-old Valdez is entering a regression period, San Francisco’s home park does a lot to mask that.
It’s also important that Valdez would not be signed as the staff ace. The Giants would likely slot him in as the No. 2 starter behind Webb or as the No. 3 man behind Webb and Ray. This would not be like signing Barry Zito to be the ace in 2007. Valdez would be more akin to what recent acquisitions like Ray and Alex Cobb have been for the Giants.
There’s some risk with any free agent signing, especially if you’re giving a big-money, multi-year deal to a player in his 30s. But given what the Giants know Valdez can bring, that risk is worth taking.
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