The Houston Astros won the American League West in 2024 largely without the help of Justin Verlander. But the Astros have begun offseason talks with the pitcher's agent, Mark Pieper of ISE.
"We've had conversations with his agent just to feel him out," Astros general manager Dana Brown told ESPN's Buster Olney on the Baseball Tonight podcast. "I don't know if there's been a lot of progress, but we're having conversations."
More news: Dodgers Pitcher Blasts Rays' and A's Relocation Plans as 'Complete BS'
Verlander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, went 5-6 with a 5.48 earned-run average in 2024, the final year of a two-year, $86.7 million contract. Verlander won't make north of $43 million again as he attempts to continue his career at age 42 in 2025, but finding a fit in terms of team and salary is a point of offseason intrigue.
Assessing Verlander's value is a unique challenge in 2024, as no active pitcher has displayed his stamina over a 19-year career. He is MLB's active leader in innings pitched (3,415.2), wins (262), losses (147), games started (526), complete games (26), and shutouts (9), among other stats.
More news: Juan Soto Seeking More Than Money in Free Agent Discussions: Report
Verlander won the American League Rookie of the Year Award with the Detroit Tigers in 2006. He won the first of his three Cy Young awards, and his only MVP, five years later.
A 2017 trade sent Verlander from Detroit to Houston, where he won the only World Series rings of his career in 2017 and 2022, as well as the last two of his Cy Young awards in 2019 and 2022.
More news: Cubs Make Trade, Acquire Former First-Round Draft Pick From Angels
But the 2024 season saw Verlander miss time with injuries to his shoulder and neck. When he returned from the neck injury in September, Verlander admitted he rushed back. His 90.1 innings pitched were the fewest he's thrown in a non-pandemic-shortened regular season since 2005.
More risk-averse teams might be unwilling to wager on a 42-year-old pitcher bouncing back. Others will point to Verlander's long track record as strong evidence of his potential upside.
More news: New Report Links Mets' Pete Alonso to NL East Rival
Verlander's chase rate, walk rate, and average fastball velocity (94.3 mph) were all above average as recently as 2023, according to Statcast.
"JV has had an unbelievable career here in Houston," Brown said of Verlander. "That guy, he takes the ball; of course he had an up and down year this year because he wasn't as healthy, but he's done so many good things here."
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
English (US) ·