"Mets offered $325,000,000 for Yoshinobu Yamamoto" - MLB insider offers insight on Mets' Framber Valdez talks amid Giants and Orioles interest

The New York Mets have been busy this offseason after missing out on the playoffs last season. While the NL East franchise has added a few bullpen pieces so far, they have now been linked with an All-Star starter in free agency.

According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are pursuing former Houston Astros All-Star Framber Vladez in free agency and have met the 32-year-old pitcher this offseason.

Amid their interest in Valdez, Heyman reported that the Mets are not big on long-term deals for starting pitchers but highlighted their offer for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2023 offseason.

"The Mets would do long deals for star pitchers in occasional circumstances (they offered $325 million for Yoshinobu Yamamoto) but generally prefer to avoid them," Heyman wrote.

However, the Mets are not the only team interested in the World Series winner, as the Baltimore Orioles and the San Francisco Giants have also met with Valdez, per Jon Heyman.

Valdez would prove to be a big acquisition for the Mets, who have seen Pete Alonso (Orioles), Edwin Diaz (Dodgers), Brandon Nimmo (Texas Rangers) and Jeff McNeil (A’s) leave this offseason.

Framber Valdez could bolster Mets' slumping rotation ahead of 2026 season

The Mets were one of the best teams in the first half of the 2025 season, but a remarkable collapse in the second half ended their postseason hopes. Their starting pitching was one of the factors in the collapse, as the Mets posted a 4.13 ERA last season, ranked 18th in the league.

Framber Valdez spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career with the Astros, posting an 81-52 record with a 3.36 ERA and 1,053 strikeouts. He earned two All-Star selections during his tenure and won the World Series in 2022. He has finished in the Top 10 in Cy Young voting three times.

Valdez finished with a 13-11record and a. 3.66 ERA last season and rejected a $22 million qualifying offer from the Astros to test free agency this offseason.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash