Framber Valdez chatter proves Pirates were a pawn, not a player

After Framber Valdez landed his three-year, $113 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, reports began to roll in about who had been circling late — and suffice it to say, he was extremely popular.

The San Diego Padres kicked the tires. The Toronto Blue Jays stayed involved. The Baltimore Orioles never really left the chat. Even the Minnesota Twins lurked. And then there were the Tigers — whose manager, A.J. Hinch, knows Valdez as well as anyone — stepping on the gas and closing the deal.

One team conspicuously missing from those postmortems? The Pittsburgh Pirates.

That absence matters, because just hours earlier Ken Rosenthal dropped a surprise report that the Pirates were “aggressively pursuing” Valdez after striking out on Eugenio Suárez. It was a headline-grabber. It was also, in retrospect, probably doing more work for Valdez’s agent than it was reflecting a genuine bidding war.

This isn’t to say the Pirates didn’t check in. They almost certainly did. Teams “check in” on star free agents all the time — a phone call, a price check, a quick temperature read. But there’s a canyon of difference between checking in and being a real player, and the way this played out strongly suggests Pittsburgh’s role lived squarely in the former category.

Pirates' reported interest in Framber Valdez likely a leverage ploy in free agency

Look at the evidence trail. If the Pirates were truly aggressive — meaning real dollars, real term, real urgency — they would have shown up in the aftermath reporting.

Agents don’t forget to mention leverage sources once a deal is done. Front offices don’t forget to quietly confirm they were involved. Yet every credible rundown of Valdez’s market after the signing reads the same: Detroit vs. a familiar cast of mid-to-large market clubs. No Pirates. No mystery runner-up. No “nearly got there.” That’s usually your tell.

This smells like a classic leverage play. Float Pittsburgh — a team with with payroll flexibility and recent “almost” pursuits of Kyle Schwarber and Suárez — and suddenly the market tightens. Urgency spikes. Other clubs are nudged to act, lest Valdez actually sign with a contender that shouldn’t be able to land him.

And hey, it worked. Valdez got paid.

The Pirates’ history reinforces the skepticism. When Pittsburgh is genuinely serious, there’s usually a breadcrumb trail: leaked structure details, clearer timelines, or at least consistent follow-up reporting. None of that existed here. Instead, the Valdez pursuit appeared suddenly, burned hot for a news cycle, and vanished without a trace.

Which is why the most plausible explanation is also the least dramatic one: the Pirates were used — not maliciously, not foolishly, just functionally. They were a name that made sense, sounded credible, and helped move the market in the direction Valdez’s camp wanted it to go.

For Pirates fans, that’s frustrating but familiar. It’s also different from being lied to. Pittsburgh likely did its due diligence. It likely asked the question. But being mentioned in the same breath as the Tigers, Padres, or Blue Jays doesn’t mean you’re playing the same game.

Sometimes, you’re just the loudest whisper in the room — and sometimes, that’s exactly all an agent needs.