Justin Verlander wasn’t on the Houston Astros’ playoff roster, but the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer isn’t quite ready to retire, he told The Athletic’s Chandler Rome after Houston was eliminated from the postseason Wednesday.
“I want to continue to pitch, to compete,” Verlander said. “I’m not ready to step away yet.”
Justin Verlander: “I want to continue to pitch, to compete. I’m not ready to step away yet.”
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 2, 2024
Verlander was 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts this season, spending two months on the injured list with a neck problem.
The three-time Cy Young winner had a 3.95 ERA in 10 starts before going on the IL in June and a 8.10 ERA in seven starts after coming off, completing more than five innings in just one of those outings — his final start of the season, a win at Cleveland.
Perhaps more importantly, Verlander pitched 90 1/3 innings, well short of the 140 innings he needed for a vesting $35-million option for 2025. Instead, Verlander will enter free agency.
Verlander could be an attractive option in free agency for the Detroit Tigers, where Verlander started his career. The Tigers — who swept the Astros in the Wild Card Series with a 5-2 Game 2 win on Wednesday — took Verlander second in the 2004 draft out of Old Dominion University. He debuted for the team in 2005 and won Rookie of the Year in 2006. Verlander won his first Cy Young Award with the Tigers in 2011, also winning the American League Most Valuable Player in the same year. The Tigers traded him to Houston in 2017. He won his second Cy Young in 2017 and third in 2022, both while a member of the Astros.
Following 2022, Verlander signed a two-year deal with the Mets for $86.6 million. The Mets traded him back to Houston that same year, with the Mets paying the majority of his salary.
(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
