Orioles make Framber Valdez a priority but rivals with deeper pockets are circling

If you were building a wish list for the Baltimore Orioles’ rotation this winter, Framber Valdez would live somewhere near the top of the page, underlined twice.

According to Jon Morosi, the left-hander has already met with the Giants, Mets, and Orioles, with Baltimore very much in the mix. That tracks. The O’s badly need a frontline starter to drop in alongside Corbin Burnes’ ghost, and Valdez checks just about every box: big-game experience, playoff innings, and a groundball machine.

Orioles’ interest in Framber Valdez runs right into a big-market problem

This is exactly the type of arm you plant at the front of a rotation when you stop pretending and start acting like a team that expects to play into late October every year.

But here’s the problem: Baltimore might be treating Valdez like a priority; the Giants and Mets can treat his contract like a minor line item.

San Francisco has already signaled they're open for business on the pitching side. Even if they view Valdez as more of a “1B” than a true ace, they’re talking about stacking multiple arms. That kind of volume approach gives them flexibility Baltimore doesn’t quite have — if the Giants overspend a little for Valdez, they can just keep spending to cover any misses.

The Mets, meanwhile, operate on an entirely different financial planet. If Steve Cohen decides Valdez is the guy, the number on the contract is going to be written in pen. That’s the moment where the Orioles usually slide into the “we were close, but the market just got away from us” portion of the press conference.

If the Orioles truly see Valdez as the piece that stabilizes this rotation for the next several seasons, they can’t tiptoe around the deep-pocket teams and hope for a bargain. They either have to plant the flag early with a serious offer, or be honest with themselves and pivot before they lose weeks chasing a dream they can’t afford.

The worst-case scenario isn’t “Framber signs somewhere else.” It’s watching the Mets and Giants scoop up the top tier while Baltimore is still waiting for the perfect price. Then, realizing too late that the only pitchers left are the ones you tell yourself you “can make work” if everything breaks right.