Framber Valdez Signing Sends Ripples Through AL Central Late in Offseason

This signing adds another layer of competition to the division

Brian Sparks

26 minutes ago

The Detroit Tigers on Wednesday reportedly agreed to a three-year, $115 million contract with left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez, giving their rotation a strong case as the best in the American League Central.

Anchored by two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and bolstered by the addition of Valdez, the Tigers’ rotation features a strong left-handed one-two punch supported by Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty. The group is positioned to give hitters across the league trouble and could influence how the rest of the tightly contested division approaches the tail end of the offseason.






What this means for the Guardians and Royals

The two biggest threats to the Tigers’ divisional standing, the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals, ranked among the worst teams in baseball against left-handed pitching.

The Guardians struggled against left-handers in 2025. Despite six-time Silver Slugger José Ramírez posting a .322/.385/.511 slash line against southpaws, Cleveland ranked 28th in baseball with a .224 team batting average against lefties.

Similar to Cleveland, the Royals ranked 20th in baseball in team batting average against left-handed pitching, posting a .236 mark. That came despite strong production from Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia, who both hit better than .300 against lefties. It is an area both teams will need to monitor closely as the offseason comes to an end.

While the free-agent market has thinned, especially following the signing of Miguel Andujar, there remain options for right-handed platoon bats that both teams could target. Players such as Starling Marte, Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham could provide additional platoon depth.






How the Twins and White Sox factor in

Despite finishing at the bottom of the division last season, the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox performed better against left-handed pitching than their divisional counterparts. Minnesota ranked 16th in baseball in batting average against lefties, while Chicago ranked 14th.

The Minnesota Twins finished with a .242 batting average. While they were not among the worst teams against southpaws, Minnesota has done little this offseason. Their most notable offensive additions, Josh Bell and Victor Caratini, are both switch-hitters who struggled against left-handed pitching.

As for the Chicago White Sox, they led the division with a .245 batting average against left-handed pitching in 2025. Unlike Minnesota, Chicago made notable upgrades this offseason, highlighted by the additions of third baseman Munetaka Murakami and outfielder Austin Hays.

The Tigers have one of the most complete rosters in baseball, and adding Valdez to the rotation only strengthens that case. With the Central rarely decided early, the move gives Detroit a clear edge entering the season.

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Young Royals Slugger Drawing Elite Prospect Comparisons

This is an encouraging look for a rising Royals star…

Brian Sparks

Jan 27, 2026

The Kansas City Royals have several promising young players, some working on their path to the majors and others already looking to make an impact at the big-league level.

With the core solidified for the next era in Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino, along with veteran leadership from Salvador Perez, pairing that group with a young supporting cast is ideal for continued success in the future.

David Adler of MLB.com picked 10 players who could be 2026 versions of 2025 breakout players, and one promising young Royal made the list.

Jac Caglianone as the 2026 Version of Junior Caminero

Adler picked Jac Caglianone to have a season similar to the one Junior Caminero had in 2025, emerging as a young slugger who found his swing and produced an impressive year at the plate after showing flashes the season prior.

Caminero was not only a top prospect for the Tampa Bay Rays but was also highly regarded across the league. He made his major league debut in late September 2023 and was recalled in August 2024. He totaled 165 at-bats during the 2024 season, slashing .248/.299/.424 with six home runs.

It was not until the following season in 2025 that Caminero broke out with a significant jump in power and delivered an impressive year at the plate. In 602 at-bats, he slashed .264/.311/.535 with a jaw-dropping 45 home runs and 110 RBIs, a season that helped set the tone for his career.

Caglianone found remarkable success during his time in the Minors, consistently displaying his power with eye-catching home runs and elite exit velocities. That level of performance forced Kansas City to call him up earlier than expected.

He did not find the same level of success in the Majors after being called up in June, slashing .157/.237/.295 in 210 at-bats with seven home runs. Despite the underwhelming numbers, he still flashed his power, giving the Royals reason to believe a breakout could be on the horizon.

Adler pointed to Caglianone’s 77.4 mph average swing speed, which ranked among the top 10 in the Majors in 2025 for hitters who took as many swings as him. He also highlighted Caglianone’s 12% barrel rate and noted a 120.9 mph batted ball recorded in the Minors. The power is clearly there for Caglianone, leaving the next step centered on consistency and putting it all together at the plate.

"Expect Caglianone to slug like Caminero, a similar elite-bat-speed young slugger who only hit six homers for the Rays as a rookie in 2024 but then erupted for 45, also in a friendlier ballpark, in 2025," Adler said.

With promising flashes, more than 200 at-bats under his belt and renovations at Kauffman Stadium that favor a left-handed slugger like Caglianone, 2026 could shape up to be a strong season for the former first-round pick.

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Framber Valdez Signing Pushes Tigers Past Dodgers in Major Category

The Detroit Tigers' massive move sends them directly ahead of the reigning back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a vital category for success.

Dominic Minchella

2 hours ago

The Detroit Tigers made a massive move last night in agreeing to a three-year deal worth $135 million with former Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez. Valdez joins Tigers manager AJ Hinch, the same manager with whom he came up through the Astros organization, as well as an elite core of pitchers.

As of right now, Detroit has not traded back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, who underwent his arbitration hearing the same day the Tigers signed Valdez, which is massive for the organization.

Joining the likes of Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Reese Olson as the projected starting rotation, Detroit's signing of Valdez catapults them ahead of the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in arguably the most important category in the MLB when it comes to being successful.

Tigers Rank Above Dodgers in SP Depth

According to FanGraphs, the Tigers' starting pitching depth has moved into second place among all 30 MLB teams for the 2026 season, passing the Dodgers and only ranking behind the Boston Red Sox.

On top of the Valdez addition, Detroit has Drew Anderson, Troy Melton and Keider Montero in the folds of the depth chart, which is enough to pass the likes of the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki.

Valdez stands out as an elite number two in a rotation led by the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner in Skubal, as he has been a consistent pitcher his entire career. According to Baseball Savant, Valdez ranked in the 97th percentile in ground ball percentage and the 91st percentile in fastball run value.

Valdez is an innings eater, has finished in the Top 10 in Cy Young Award voting three times in his career, and could join Skubal in being a 200-strikeout season type of pitcher. Keep in mind, the Tigers could still decide to move Skubal at any point this offseason or throughout the season, so these rankings should be viewed with that in mind.

The Tigers were projected to win 83 games before Valdez signed with the franchise, and now, following the addition, those projections are likely to go up. Detroit does need some help with the bats in their hands, but the front office is likely to rely on the young hitters coming through in 2026.

The AL Central feels like it's the Tigers' to lose, as they look to become division champions for the first time since 2014.

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Joe little, the sky is falling ,the sky is falling !!!!!!

No. Just awareness month. There's only one place the sky is falling.

The JJ Wetherholt Era Begins for the Cards After Donovan Trade

Following the Brendan Donovan trade this week, it opens up avenues in the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster. The front office’s main intent going into the 2026 season was to make the roster more youthful. With Donovan now in a Seattle Mariners uniform, it is all but certain that the Cardinals’ top prospect, JJ Wetherholt, will be on the Opening Day roster. There has been speculation on where the organization will play the young phenom. Will he start at third base or second base? One thing that is known is that he will not be playing his primary position of shortstop with Gold Glove winner Masyn Winn at the helm. No matter what position he plays, the Wetherholt era has begun for the Cardinals.

The JJ Wetherholt Era Begins for the Cardinals

Minor League Success

There is no doubt that the organization and the fans are excited about Wetherholt’s arrival. The Cardinals took him with the 7th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He is currently ranked as the Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect in the organization and MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall prospect. In 138 games across the minor leagues, Wetherholt has done nothing but succeed. In 513 at-bats, he had a .304 average, a .416 OBP, a .562 slugging, and a .905 OPS. He also had 19 home runs, 79 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. While it is unknown if Wetherholt’s talents will translate to the Major League level, he has proven all he needs to in the minors.

Key to the Future

The Cardinals organization is currently in a rebuilding stage. While still only 23 years old, Wetherholt is a key to the Cardinals’ future. They have been searching for their franchise pillar, and Wetherholt has the skill set to be that. He is a true “five-tool” talent who can play multiple positions around the infield. He may not be as versatile as Donovan was, but the versatility he does have will bode well for the Cardinals in the future.

Now, the Cardinals do not want to rush him into the big leagues. However, as stated before, Wetherholt has proven all he has had to in the minors. The Cardinals thought they had this type of player with Jordan Walker, but it hasn’t panned out with him just yet. They believe Wetherholt to be a different situation. Yes, Wetherholt has gone through a position change, but not as major a change as Walker did. With how the Cardinals are viewing the 2026 season, Wetherholt and other young Cardinals are going to get the chance to prove themselves.

Welcome to the Show

Although it is not official, it should be the general expectation to see Wetherholt on the Opening Day roster. There may be some “growing pains” at first, but that happens with many rookies getting their first chance at the major league level. Even if there are signs of struggle at first, the Cardinals won’t be giving up on Wetherholt. He has the chance to be a real franchise player for the organization. And fans across Cardinal Nation and the MLB world should be highly anticipating Wetherholt’s debut.

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The Cardinals selected Wetherholt, who had been rumored to be an option for the Guardians at 1-1, with the seventh overall pick last year.

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