When the Detroit Tigers signed Framber Valdez to a massive free agent deal last winter, the plan was simple: pair him with Tarik Skubal and build one of the most intimidating one-two punches in baseball. Instead, Skubal is sidelined by elbow surgery and widely expected to be traded by the deadline, while Valdez is stumbling through what could be the worst season of his career.
The Tigers sit at 30–42, fourth in the AL Central, and Valdez’s return to Houston on Tuesday isn’t just a revenge game — it’s a pressure test. The question isn’t whether he can beat his old team. It’s whether he can beat his own mechanics.
Through 14 starts, Valdez is 3–5 with a 4.40 ERA, a 1.339 WHIP, and 29 walks — all career-worst marks. The two-time All-Star is no longer inducing ground balls at his usual elite rate, and The Athletic reports that the average height of his sinker is 2.47 feet, the highest of his career. That’s a red flag for a pitcher who built his reputation by attacking the bottom of the zone with a devastating sinker that batters couldn’t lift.
According to multiple reports, the introduction of the automated ball-strike system and ABS challenges has subtly shifted the strike zone higher, forcing Valdez to adjust his approach in a way that undermines his greatest strength.
Valdez’s season also lost momentum after a bizarre and costly start against the Boston Red Sox on May 29. He hit Trevor Story with a pitch, was ejected, and later suspended for five games. It cut short what had been his best stretch of the year. His most recent outing featured a 67-minute rain delay, further complicating his rhythm.
His strikeout rate has dropped to 7.1 K/9, and only 48 percent of his pitches are landing in the strike zone — the lowest mark since his rookie year. At 32 years old, some regression was expected, especially given his 6.05 ERA over the final 10 games of 2024. But the scale of the decline has surprised even some within the Tigers organization, who have not publicly commented on any structural issues in his delivery.
Adding to the storyline: Valdez recently told reporters that the Astros never contacted him during free agency. For a pitcher who spent six years as the ace of a perennial contender, that silence stings. A strong outing in Houston could be the spark he needs — or it could reveal that the issues run deeper than any emotional fuel can fix.
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