Giants agree Justin Verlander Signed a one-year contract, pending a medical examination. Verlander is reportedly a client of ISE Baseball and is guaranteed $15MM.
The future Hall of Famer will play out his age-42 season in San Francisco. Verlander has previously said he wants to keep pitching until he is 45. In Houston, it seems unlikely that this will continue. Verlander had a stellar season with the Astros during his first half with the Mets in 2023.
Verlander caught 17 catches and averaged a 5.48 ERA in 90 1/3 innings. He has had two injuries – first in April due to shoulder inflammation and then two months between June and August related to neck issues. After he returned from the latter injury, opponents rated his ERA above 8.00 in seven starts. Verlander admitted after the season that he came back too soon as he tried to contribute to Houston’s playoff push.
San Francisco believes it has more in store with a healthy offseason. Verlander is just one year away from a great season. In 2023, he had a combined 3.22 ERA in 162 1/3 innings with New York and Houston. It showed some regression in his Cy Young form, but he still had great success that year with fewer swings and misses.
Verlander’s four-seam fastball averaged 93.5 mph last season. That’s down slightly from the 94-95 mph range he’ll be in in 2022-23, but not completely off the mark. A lack of pitching power may be to blame for this decline. If Verlander is fully healthy in 2025, it wouldn’t be surprising to expect his velocity to rebound.
For a 42-year-old pitcher, health is a clear warning. Verlander has already exceeded expectations once, recovering from Tommy John surgery to win his third Cy Young Game in 2022 at age 39. kind of performance, but as a mid-rotation arm and veteran presence, he could be an asset on a losing staff. Blake Snell.
Logan Webb Will return as the team’s first starter. Wieland and Robbie Ray As senior veterans trying to bounce back from injuries, they are in the middle of the rotation. former top prospect Kyle Harrison Should be the fourth starter. President of baseball operations Buster Posey said last month that the Giants intend to give a sinker with strong throwing ability Jordan Hicks Another opportunity to rotate positions. young arms Landon Rupp, Mason Black and Hayden Birdsong Hicks could be pushed into the fifth starting role.
This is Posey’s second free agent move in his first winter in baseball. His big splash was a seven-year installation deal Willie Adams At shortstop. Posey has publicly stated that continuing to strengthen the offense is more important than the rotation, but they clearly like the value of Verlander’s one-year roll of the dice.
San Francisco’s luxury tax liability as of today is approximately $208MM, according to calculations by RosterResource. That would put them at around 223MM, less than 20MM less than the base threshold of 241MM. Verlander’s contract matches veteran starter’s $15 salary Alex Cobb and Charlie Morton This winter also landed early.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the news that the Giants and Verlander had agreed to a one-year deal. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported the salary at $15. Image courtesy of Image.
