MLB veteran Justin Verlander found a home with the Detroit Tigers for the 2026 season. On February 10, 2026, it was announced that the Tigers had acquired Verlander’s services by signing him to a one-year, $13 million deal. Since then, there have been plenty of discussions about how Verlander would fit into the scheme of things at the Tigers.
Recently, a Red Sox analyst provided his thoughts on the same and explained how Justin Verlander could pair with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and new signing Framber Valdez. The Red Sox analyst in question is Jared Carrabis. On an episode of Underground Baseball with Jared Carrabis, the analyst said:
“I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Justin Verlander’s career. I don’t have an emotional attachment to him, per se. But like, I have enjoyed the ride. I have enjoyed watching it from day one. I think it’s very cool he’s going back to Detroit.”
Carrabis also spoke about Verlander linking up with Skubal and Valdez. He added:
“What’s the historical precedent that’s been set of, you know, surefire first ballot hall of famer going back to a team where it all started to link up with that generation’s ace, like the bulldog, where it’s like this is my rotation, but the old guard is returning. We landed on when Randy Johnson went back to the Diamondbacks in his 40s, and what was it? Brandon Webb was there. There was no exact comparison. But, Justin Verlander linking up with Tarik Skubal, who’s in the midst of back-to-back Cy-Young awards, also adding Framber Valdez, that does something to me.”
Justin Verlander’s return to the Detroit Tigers is also emotional because the baseball star began his MLB career with this very team. During that time, Verlander won many accolades, like the AL CY Young Award, and he made it to the All-Star week, and the All-MLB First Team, to name a few.
MLB analyst reveals what’s motivating Justin Verlander to continue playing
When Justin Verlander steps on the field to pitch for the Detroit Tigers in 2026, he will be 43 years old. While Verlander is certainly not the youngest player in baseball, an MLB analyst recently revealed the purpose that could be fuelling Verlander’s hunger to play baseball at the highest level despite his age.
The MLB analyst who opened up on Verlander is MLB Network’s Jeff Joyce. As per Joyce, Verlander is chasing a milestone of 300 wins in Major League Baseball. He said:
“I think the thing that Justin Verlander’s chasing at this point is 300 wins. You kind of feel like that’s his goal. He’s already won the World Series, he’s won three Cy Youngs, he’s won an MVP. He’s 34 wins short of 300, which is a number nobody will ever get to again… So, I kinda hope that he gets there. As much as I don’t pay attention to wins anymore, when you’re that close to 300, and it’s one of those numbers that nobody’s ever going to get again, I’d like to see him get it.”
While Justin Verlander has produced many terrific seasons for the teams he has played for, he had an average year with the San Francisco Giants in 2025. During the Regular Season last year, Verlander posted a 4-11 record with an ERA of 3.85. He also had 137 strikeouts to his name.
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