Justin Verlander – yes, about-to-turn-43-year-old Justin Verlander – is coming back to Detroit in one of the most unexpected Tigers signings in at least a week.
If you can remember as far back as Feb. 4, that’s when the Detroit Tigers surprised the baseball world by inking elite left-hander Framber Valdez to a three-year, $115 million deal.
It was a triumph that gave the Tigers a hefty one-two punch at the top of a rotation led by Tarik Skubal, and signaled management’s intention to take another step toward a World Series.
But Verlander’s signing is something altogether different.
With better options with more upside still on the market, the Tigers decided to pander to their fans by bringing back one of their favorites, albeit on a team-friendly contract.
Basically, they decided to reheat a plate of nachos.
And hey, who doesn’t like nachos, even when they’re reheated?
You can bet most Tigers fans, many of whom still wear No. 35 Verlander jerseys nearly a decade after the team traded him to the Houston Astros in 2017, were thrilled when they heard of the signing.
Celebrate the Tigers’ first 125 epic seasons with our new book!
Fans are nostalgic and emotional and want to believe the best about their heroes. And Verlander might still have enough left in the tank to make good on fans’ belief with meaningful contributions. In the first half of last season with the Giants, he struggled while dealing with a pectoral strain, then posted elite numbers, including a 2.60 ERA in his final 13 starts.
But whatever contribution Verlander makes for the Tigers, it will come from the back end of the rotation behind Skubal, Valdez, Jack Flaherty and probably Casey Mize.
The Tigers also might have a tough decision to make with Verlander if youngster Troy Melton stars in Triple-A Toledo. Or when Jackson Jobe returns from Tommy John surgery sometime in the middle of the season.
How would you like to be the guy who has to tell a proud, future Hall of Famer he’s moving to the bullpen so that a guy who was 3 years old when he made his major-league debut can start? If A.J. Hinch is smart, he should make Jobe himself break the news to Verlander, who might mistake Jobe for a clubbie anyway.
That’s the hard part about Verlander returning to Detroit. He’s a shadow of the dominant power pitcher he used to be; he’s arriving in town like the old gunslinger still trying to prove he’s quick enough on the draw.
Really, Verlander isn’t elite in any pitching category anymore. His strikeout rate, which traditionally hovered in the mid-20% range – and peaked in the mid-30% range with Houston – dipped to 20.7% last year (though that was an improvement on his 18.7% in an injury-plagued 2024). His 7.9% walk rate last year was one of the highest of his career. His chase and whiff rates also were below league average last year.
But the metric that mattered most to Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris may not have been WHIP or fWAR, but DOL – dollars saved thanks to the team-friendly deal Verlander signed: one year at $13 million, with $11 million deferred to 2030.
You can bet Harris was somewhat financially hamstrung, thanks to the $32 million fiscal flying elbow Skubal dropped on them from the top rope in arbitration. As we all know, owner Christopher Ilitch isn’t Mike Ilitch; Harris doesn’t have carte blanche to sign any player he wants.
Verlander doesn’t make the Tigers much better, but his signing at least makes practical sense as a cost-conscious, feel-good reunion that could help the early season rotation while also selling more tickets and merchandise. Probably a few more nachos, too.
Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on X @cmonarrez.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers simply reheating past glories with Justin Verlander
Reporting by Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
