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3Bplay · 01-16-2026, 05:44 PM

METS AGREE TO TERMS WITH VALDEZ
Four-year deal includes opt-out after 2026

By MLB.com staff
02/22/2026

With Spring Training games now officially underway, lefty Framber Valdez and the Mets have agreed to a four-year, $125 million deal that contains an opt-out after this season; and could also pay out up to $2.5 million per season in incentives. He'll make $28 million in 2026, but those figures go up to $32 million in 2027, $33 million in 2028, and then back down to $32 million in 2029 if he opts in.

That leaves Ranger Suarez as the last remaining 'big-name' free agent on the board, with the Phillies, Red Sox, and Orioles to be considered the front-runners for his services. Valdez joins a rotation that's already packed with big names, with Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, and Sean Manaea. The Mets recently traded away David Peterson to the Angels for a couple of prospects, which fueled speculation at the time that the Mets were closing in on a starting pitcher.

The two-time All-Star with the Astros carries a lifetime 3.16 ERA into the 2026 season, and that's even factoring in his rough rookie season in which he was smacked around for a 5.86 ERA in 70 2/3 innings back in 2019. SInce then, he's been one of the consistently great pitchers of the 2020's.

"I'd put the Mets' rotation up against anyone else's right now, and I'd feel good about winning any series," said MLB Network analyst Greg Amsinger after the signing was announced. "One through five, they can all go out there and put on a show. Kodai Senga struggled a bit towards the end of the season, but I like him to come back and be the driving force behind a Mets team that returns to the postsesaon in 2026."

01-16-2026, 05:44 PM	#47
3Bplay Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 359	MLB News (02/22) METS AGREE TO TERMS WITH VALDEZ Four-year deal includes opt-out after 2026 By MLB.com staff 02/22/2026 With Spring Training games now officially underway, lefty Framber Valdez and the Mets have agreed to a four-year, $125 million deal that contains an opt-out after this season; and could also pay out up to $2.5 million per season in incentives. He'll make $28 million in 2026, but those figures go up to $32 million in 2027, $33 million in 2028, and then back down to $32 million in 2029 if he opts in. That leaves Ranger Suarez as the last remaining 'big-name' free agent on the board, with the Phillies, Red Sox, and Orioles to be considered the front-runners for his services. Valdez joins a rotation that's already packed with big names, with Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, and Sean Manaea. The Mets recently traded away David Peterson to the Angels for a couple of prospects, which fueled speculation at the time that the Mets were closing in on a starting pitcher. The two-time All-Star with the Astros carries a lifetime 3.16 ERA into the 2026 season, and that's even factoring in his rough rookie season in which he was smacked around for a 5.86 ERA in 70 2/3 innings back in 2019. SInce then, he's been one of the consistently great pitchers of the 2020's. "I'd put the Mets' rotation up against anyone else's right now, and I'd feel good about winning any series," said MLB Network analyst Greg Amsinger after the signing was announced. "One through five, they can all go out there and put on a show. Kodai Senga struggled a bit towards the end of the season, but I like him to come back and be the driving force behind a Mets team that returns to the postsesaon in 2026."