Playing Matchmaker on Framber Valdez, Cole Ragans, Top SP in Free-Agency, Trade Rumors
There might not be a Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto headlining this MLB offseason's available players, but there is an extremely deep crop of starting pitching talent, both in free agency and on the trade market.
One major domino already fell when Dylan Cease inked a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, but there are still multiple frontline starters on the market for teams looking to bolster their rotation.
Ahead, we've played matchmaker with 10 notable starting pitchers—five free agents and five trade candidates—and assigned them to potential landing spots, with an explanation of how they would fit and what it might take to sign or acquire them.
Unlikely to Be Traded, But Never Say Never
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The following starters are not currently expected to be traded, but their names have cropped up in speculative rumors, so it's at least worth mentioning them up front:
RHP Sandy Alcantara, MIA
RHP Hunter Greene, CIN
RHP Paul Skenes, PIT
LHP Tarik Skubal, DET
It would take a landscape-altering deal to pry Skenes away from the Pirates this early in his club control, with only a handful of teams possessing the young talent to even make a competitive offer.
Despite entering his final year of arbitration, Skubal will similarly require a boatload even for one year of his services. Any team willing to give up what it takes to acquire him will likely want to have a realistic shot at re-signing him, so that limits his market to top-tier spenders.
With three years and $40 million remaining on a team-friendly extension, along with a $21 million club option for 2029, Greene would only be moved if the return was a similarly impactful bat that could plug immediately into the Cincinnati lineup.
The most likely of the four to be dealt is Alcantara, and he might already be gone if he had put together a better return from Tommy John surgery. After the Marlins went 35-32 after the All-Star break, though, they could be looking to contend.
RHP Zac Gallen, Free Agent
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Stats: 33 GS, 4.83 ERA (4.50 FIP), 1.26 WHIP, 175 K, 192.0 IP
WAR: 1.1
Predicted Landing Spot: Arizona Diamondbacks
It was a contract year to forget for Zac Gallen, but he started to look more like his usual frontline self down the stretch, authoring a 10-start stretch in August and September when he logged a 2.82 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 60.2 innings.
He may have played his way out of the nine-figure contract conversation, but he should still command somewhere in the $20 million-$25 million AAV range on a shorter deal.
A return to Arizona, where he logged three top-10 finishes in NL Cy Young voting over a four-year stretch, might be the best possible outcome for both player and team.
LHP MacKenzie Gore, Trade Candidate
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Stats: 30 GS, 4.17 ERA (3.74 FIP), 1.35 WHIP, 185 K, 159.2 IP
WAR: 3.0
Predicted Landing Spot: Baltimore Orioles
With Scott Boras as his agent, free agency looming after the 2027 season and the Washington Nationals no closer to contending than they were two years ago, it's easy to see why MacKenzie Gore is expected to be on the move some time soon.
"Teams expect Gore to be wearing a different uniform by the end of 2026. They just aren't sure whether a deal will happen now or at the trade deadline in July," wrote Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN.
He fits better as a No. 2/3 guy on a contending team rather than a staff ace, but with two years of control remaining and elite strikeout stuff, it would take at least one consensus top 100 prospect, another prospect in the No. 100-150 range and several other high-ceiling young pieces to pry him loose.
RHP Tatsuya Imai, International Free Agent
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Stats (Japan): 24 GS, 10-5, 1.92 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 178 K, 163.2 IP
Predicted Landing Spot: New York Yankees
Despite an undersized 5'11", 154-pound frame, Tatsuya Imai is expected to make an immediate impact in a starting role in the big leagues, and topping 150 innings pitched four times in the last five years in Japan helps erase some of the durability concerns.
With an electric fastball and plus secondary stuff, he fits into the top tier of available pitchers this winter alongside Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez and the already-signed Dylan Cease.
After telling reporters he wants to "take down" the Dodgers, Imai's most obvious speculative landing spot is far less likely than expected. With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt all sidelined to start the year, the Yankees need rotation depth and are viewed as one of the favorites.
RHP Mitch Keller, Trade Candidate
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Stats: 32 GS, 4.19 ERA (4.02 FIP), 1.26 WHIP, 150 K, 176.1 IP
WAR: 1.4
Predicted Landing Spot: San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres have to do something to replace Dylan Cease, Michael King and the injured Yu Darvish in their starting rotation, and with a ton of long-term money on the books, they might prefer the trade market and shorter commitments to address that need.
Mitch Keller will likely come at a slightly lower acquisition cost than the other trade candidates mentioned in this article, as he is more of a middle-of-the-rotation option who is capable of more.
Would a Jake Cronenworth-for-Keller swap appeal to a Pirates team in serious need of offensive help? That would likely just be the foundation of a larger trade that also involves prospects and cash, but it could make sense as a basic outline.
RHP Michael King, Free Agent
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Stats: 15 GS, 3.44 ERA (4.42 FIP), 1.20 WHIP, 76 K, 73.1 IP
WAR: 1.2
Predicted Landing Spot: Detroit Tigers
With Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize penciled into three spots in the Tigers rotation, adding at least one more proven veteran arm would allow Reese Olson, Troy Melton, Keider Montero and others to compete for one spot on the staff rather than two.
According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers have shown specific interest in King, and he has the potential to be the No. 2 guy on the staff if he can put an injury-plagued 2025 campaign in the rearview.
After finishing 22nd in the majors with just 814.1 innings of work from the starting rotation, it makes sense that the Tigers would be looking for another arm, and King is just a year removed from tossing 173.2 innings and finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting.
RHP Freddy Peralta, Trade Candidate
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Stats: 33 GS, 2.70 ERA (3.64 FIP), 1.08 WHIP, 204 K, 176.2 IP
WAR: 5.5
Predicted Landing Spot: New York Mets
With the Brewers reportedly concerned about their payroll, due in part to Brandon Woodruff making the unexpected decision to accept his $22.025 million qualifying offer, it's looking more and more like Freddy Peralta is on his way out the door.
The 29-year-old has an extremely team-friendly $8 million salary for the upcoming season, but that is still enough to make him the fourth-highest paid player on the roster, behind only Christian Yelich ($24.033 million), Woodruff ($22.025 million) and William Contreras ($11 million projected).
With free agency on the horizon following the 2026 season, and the Brewers unlikely to pay up to sign him to a long-term deal, now is the logical time to move Peralta. The Mets need a proven ace to front their staff, and he might end up being the best arm that finds a new home this winter.
LHP Cole Ragans, Trade Candidate
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Stats: 13 GS, 4.67 ERA (2.50 FIP), 1.18 WHIP, 98 K, 61.2 IP
WAR: 0.2
Predicted Landing Spot: Boston Red Sox
A simple glance at his 2025 numbers doesn't properly illustrate the type of pitcher Cole Ragans can be and has been in the past for the Royals.
After a breakout performance immediately following his acquisition from the Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline, he legitimized his ace potential by going 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts in 186.1 innings, racking up 5.0 WAR and finishing fourth in AL Cy Young voting.
With club control through 2028, he is one of the most valuable trade chips on the market, and the Royals will only move him if it means bringing back a proven big league bat, ideally an outfielder.
The Red Sox have an abundance of outfielders and a clear need in the rotation, making them the obvious speculative trade partner.
RHP Joe Ryan, Trade Candidate
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Stats: 30 GS, 3.42 ERA (3.74 FIP), 1.04 WHIP, 194 K, 171.0 IP
WAR: 4.5
Predicted Landing Spot: Houston Astros
Over the past four seasons, Joe Ryan quietly ranks in the top 40 among starting pitchers in WAR (10.7, 33rd) and innings pitched (614.2, 27th), and he is coming off the best season of his career and first All-Star selection in 2025.
He leans heavily on an elite four-seam fastball, throwing the pitch more than 50 percent of the time and allowing a .204 average while recording 109 strikeouts and a 26.9 percent whiff rate with the pitch.
The Astros are poised to lose Framber Valdez, and they will need to do something to shore up the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Hunter Brown.
They have one of the thinnest farm systems in baseball, but might be able to build a package around Jake Meyers and a few of their remaining top prospects to reel in Ryan and his two years of club control.
LHP Ranger Suárez, Free Agent
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Stats: 26 GS, 3.20 ERA (3.21 FIP), 1.22 WHIP, 151 K, 157.1 IP
WAR: 4.7
Predicted Landing Spot: Chicago Cubs
Ranger Suárez has been a groundball pitcher throughout his career, with a strong 52.0 percent groundball rate for his career, and that means a team with a strong defensive infield might be his ideal landing spot.
It doesn't get much better than the middle infield tandem of Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson for the Cubs, and rookie Matt Shaw was also a Gold Glove finalist at third base, making the North Side an ideal place for Suárez to land on a long-term deal.
The question is whether the Cubs are still aiming that high in their search for pitching help after Shota Imanaga made the surprise decision to accept his qualifying offer after club and player options were both declined.
With Justin Steele sidelined to open the year, they could still add one more arm to the rotation, with Colin Rea shifting into a swingman role in the bullpen.
LHP Framber Valdez, Free Agent
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Stats: 31 GS, 3.66 ERA (3.37 FIP), 1.25 WHIP, 187 K, 192.0 IP
WAR: 3.8
Predicted Landing Spot: San Francisco Giants
Logan Webb is a bona fide staff ace and Robbie Ray enjoyed a surprise return to All-Star form in 2025, but the Giants need at least one more impact starting pitcher to make a serious push in the NL West.
As it stands, Landen Roupp, Kai-Wei Teng and Trevor McDonald are projected to fill the final three spots in the rotation, and the team's outlook improves greatly if that group is competing for two spots rather than filling three.
After Dylan Cease landed a seven-year, $210 million deal from the Blue Jays, Framber Valdez will likely be looking for something similar to that $30 million AAV, though the fact that he is two-plus years older could limit him to a shorter deal.
