Mets rumors: Insider says New York is favorite to land Framber Valdez in free agency

The New York Mets are largely expected to make significant changes to their roster this offseason, and they could look to add one of the best starters on the market.

According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, the Mets are the current favorites to sign starting pitcher Framber Valdez.

“The Mets are the favorites to sign Framber Valdez. It is expected that they will sign him for 6 years and US$200 million,” Gomez tweeted.

The rumor comes shortly after the Mets decided to trade franchise staple Brandon Nimmo in exchange for Marcus Semien. President of baseball operations David Stearns has signaled that he will aim to improve the team’s defensive prowess and overall run prevention, a strategy that could also lend itself to acquiring a top-notch arm.

Valdez has spent his entire career with the Houston Astros up until this point. Across 188 career games, the two-time All-Star has gone 81-52 with a 3.36 ERA. Over 31 starts last season, Valdez went 13-11 and posted a 3.66 ERA. According to Baseball Savant, he ranked in the 91st percentile in Fastball Run Value and the 97th percentile in GB%.

New York’s starting rotation struggled mightily last season. Veterans such as Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga were unable to provide stability, and rookies like Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong were forced to learn how to contribute on the fly. Signing Valdez would make sense if New York also attempts to trade Senga or one of their arms.

The Mets entered this offseason with a number of questions, and Valdez might provide at least one answer for the right deal.

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