The San Francisco Giants agree to a one-year, $15 million contract with starting pitcher Justin Verlander, ESPN Reports.
Verlander, who turns 42 in February, will join the Giants for his 20th MLB season. The deal marks a return to the National League for Verlander after briefly pitching for the New York Mets in 2023. ranked free agent No. 43 in this year’s class by Yahoo Sports.
Verlander is one of the most decorated pitchers of his generation. A nine-time All-Star, he is a three-time Cy Young winner with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. He was named AL MVP in 2011, the same season he won his first Cy Young with the Tigers.
Verlander won his Cy Young Awards in 2019 and 2022 with the Astros after first joining Houston in 2017. He was a key member of Houston’s pitching staff during its 2017 World Series championship runs and 2022.
Verlander signed with the Mets as a free agent before the 2023 season, only to be traded to Astros on the trade deadline. He remained with the Astros through the 2024 season before becoming a free agent.
Verlander is no longer the pitcher he once was. He was borderline unusable in his 90⅓ innings in 2024, struggling to achieve a 5.48 ERA and a career-low strikeout rate. While he has expressed his desire to pitch until he is 45, it’s hard to ignore a fastball that keeps losing speed.
Prior to last season, Verlander had only posted an ERA over 4 twice in a full season (4.84 in 2008, 4.54 in 2014), and he has a career ERA of 3, 30. The Giants are surely hoping he can return to form in San Francisco next season. He joins a team that includes 2024 All-Star Logan Webb, but lost two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to the rival Dodgers in free agency.