With their starting rotation battered by injuries, the Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly eyeing a high-impact fix and are planning to trade for Astros ace Framber Valdez, a two-time All-Star with one of the nastiest sinker-curve combos in baseball.
According to Just Baseball, Valdez, currently earning $18 million this season, is quickly rising up the Dodgers’ trade target board. And it’s no surprise why. L.A.’s rotation has been stretched thin, with multiple key starters sidelined. Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Michael Grove, and Emmet Sheehan are all on the injured list. With Yoshinobu Yamamoto holding down the frontline, L.A. still needs dependable depth behind him.
Why Framber Valdez Makes Perfect Sense For The Dodgers?
Framber Valdez has been quietly dominant. He is 6-4 with a 3.07 ERA and 84 strikeouts this season. The two-time All-Star ranks in the 97th percentile for ground balls and over the 90th percentile in fastball and breaking pitch run values.
With Fried and Framber being the same age Framber will seek a contract similar to Fried’s (8 yrs 218m) enjoy him while you can pic.twitter.com/HHcxLu057R
— nick (@nnickk22) June 9, 2025
His elite sinker-curveball combo consistently frustrates hitters, and he brings the kind of postseason poise L.A. covets. Valdez is a reliable innings-eater who can step into a rotation desperate for stability amid a rash of injuries.
Dodgers’ recent 11-1 blowout loss to the Padres served as a wake-up call for the front office to look for reinforcements on the mound, and Valdez could be the answer.
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