Veteran starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who turns 43 in a week, is still going strong at the highest level of baseball. Coming off a strong season with the San Francisco Giants, Verlander entered free agency.
While several teams were linked to the veteran, it was the Detroit Tigers that ultimately won the race for his signature, signing him to a one-year, $13 million contract.
During Tuesday’s episode of “Tiger Territory,” The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen spoke about the impact of Justin Verlander’s return to the team that handed him his major league debut back in 2005.
“The fact Verlander is back is awesome. This is what fans have been clamoring for for a long time in this offseason. This offseason was actually the first time I was on board with it, because if the Tigers were going to add another starter, and they were poking around Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, why not just get the guy who’s a franchise legend, and who happened to have a really good second half last year? Sub three ERA in his final 13 starts. It seemed like, last year, when healthy, Justin Verlander was really good. I still think he still has as much if not more upside than those other guys,” Stavenhagen said (3:55).
“You’re going to be rounding out your team with a future Hall of Famer. That room’s going to be a little different with Justin Verlander in there. Whatever bad might come of it, I think some good is going to come out of it, too. The days of the Tigers just being young, like I said, that’s over. You’re here to win. The fact that the Tigers went out and did this signals that they are focused and intent on winning. There’s going to be a lot of emotion and nostalgia when Verlander shows up to camp this week. People are going to buy jerseys all over again, people are going to buy tickets to games, and that part of it is truly great,” he added.
Analyst Explains Why Justin Verlander Is Still A Great Asset to Any Team in 2026
On January 20, MLB Network’s Eduardo Perez explained why he believes Justin Verlander could be a great asset to any team in 2026.
“He will not only give you innings, he’ll give you a veteran presence, and be a mentor as well. I’m all in on Justin Verlander. I do not care what the analytics say,” Eduardo Perez said.
“Give me the analytics on the person, and the person out of 10 is a 10. That’s who I want around that group of guys. If that’ll make them 5% better, then you’re getting a lot more than what you’re bargaining for. I’m taking Justin Verlander any day on my team,” he added.
Verlander finished the 2025 season with a 4-11 record, 3.85 ERA, and 137 strikeouts.
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