Justin Verlander Draws Interest from “A Lot of Teams”
There wasn’t much talk about the community Justin VerlanderThe market as the three-time Cy Young Award winner prepares for his 20th Major League season, however, may be starting to pick up business. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (video link) reports that “most teams [are] interested” in the right-hander, as well as Verlander and his former teammate Max Scherzer they are in similar situations as veterans seek one-year contracts as they look to bounce back from injury-shortened 2024 seasons.
Verlander threw just 90 1/3 innings last season, and didn’t make his 2024 debut until April 19 after a shoulder problem limited him during Spring Training. That minor problem was overshadowed by a neck injury in June that sidelined him for more than two and a half months, and Verlander then struggled to an 8.10 ERA in 33 1/3 frames after being taken off the injured list in August. Discussing his health status with reporters in late September, Verlander said “I think I came back from my neck injury quickly….I want to be of help to this team. And to do that, I needed to be able to stop and figure out where I was. Obviously, the results were not good. But there is nothing you can do but try to sing.”
The good news is that Verlander is now “in great shape,” according to Morosi, as the future Hall-of-Famer enters his age-42 season. Verlander has a well-earned reputation as a professional throughout his illustrious career, yet inevitably, many health problems have developed as he ages. Verlander missed nearly all of the 2020-21 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, missed several weeks of the 2022 season with a calf injury, and a severe teres strain kept him on the shelf for about the first month of 2023. the season.
The last two of those injuries, to be fair, didn’t stop Verlander from throwing a total of 337 1/3 innings in 2022-23, and 38 1/3 more frames in the playoffs. His 2022 season in particular saw him qualify for his best season, as he posted a 1.75 ERA while leading Houston to a World Series championship. Verlander took a small step back in 2023 but still had a 3.22 ERA in 162 1/3 innings combined with the Mets and Astros.
Even at 42 years old, Verlander has a lot of upside, as he has shown that he can still be an effective arm as long as he stays healthy. Obviously his health is a question mark considering what happens in 2024, however on paper, even a major neck injury is probably not as big of a red flag to teams as something like an elbow or shoulder injury. It’s probably no surprise that Verlander’s market has started to heat up as we get later into the offseason, and teams have had more time to evaluate his medicine and monitor the rest of the market after other free agents and trades. the target is off the board.
Morosi did not name specific teams that were considering Verlander, though any number of clubs could be in the mix due to the ever-present need to play. It can be assumed that Verlander is prioritizing joining a contending team, and Morosi’s suggestion that Baltimore might be eligible may no longer apply, as Morosi’s report was filed before the Orioles announced their annual contract. Charlie Morton. The Astros are the only team known to be interested in Verlander’s services, as GM Dana Brown said in November that “there were discussions” with Verlander’s agent.
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