CONS

There was a troubling moment in September, when Valdez seemingly intentionally crossed up his catcher in order to hit him with a pitch -- and showed no remorse after.

For his part, Valdez claimed it was unintentional.

As far as Valdez's advanced stats, while we noted above that he's never lit it up in that regard, there are some causes for concern. The biggest one is that his curve ball and slider -- his two main secondary pitches -- both graded out poorly in 2025. That was a stark difference from the prior three seasons, so perhaps it was just a one-year blip.

Then there's Valdez's age.

As he prepares to enter his age-32 season, he's the oldest of the top-of-the-rotation free agent starting pitching options.

Then there's the contract he'll likely be seeking.

Valdez is just one year older than Max Fried, who signed an eight-year deal with the Yankees last offseason ahead of his age-31 campaign. Before inking that contract, Fried had a career ERA+ of 140 across eight seasons.

As Valdez seeks his big payday, the back of his baseball card shows a career ERA+ of 124 across eight seasons. But he's been much more durable than Fried, who had thrown 176 innings or more just once before signing with the Yanks. Valdez has done so each of the last four seasons.

It's hard to envision any team giving Valdez eight years, or even seven years. But a six-year deal could be in his future.

VERDICT

When discussing the pros and cons of the Mets possibly signing Suarez, I wondered -- given Suarez's rapidly declining fastball velocity and his propensity for giving up about as many hits as innings pitched -- how much longer he'd be an above average pitcher.

In the case of Valdez, it doesn't seem like he's about to drop off dramatically. But giving a 32-year-old pitcher a six-year deal is a risky proposition, especially when that pitcher doesn't miss bats at an elite level.

At some point, Stearns might have to splurge on an uncomfortable free agent deal for a starting pitcher. Valdez doesn't seem like the guy to do it for.

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