HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 01: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros is introduced prior to Game 1 of the Wild Card Series presented by T-Mobile 5G Home Internet between the Detroit Tigers and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Alex Bierens de Haan/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Justin Verlander authored many of the brightest chapters of his future Hall of Fame career with the Houston Astros. The soon-to-be 42-year-old hurler will now continue his career on the west coast.
Verlander reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal is worth $15 million, according to a separate report from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. 2025 will mark Verlander’s 20th MLB season, and his fourth straight beginning with a new team after starting 2023 with the New York Mets and both 2022 and 2024 with the Astros.
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BREAKING: Right-hander Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a one-year contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. The future Hall of Famer, who turns 42 next month, will spend his 20th season with the Giants.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 7, 2025
Houston’s landmark acquisition of Verlander in August 2017 not only springboarded the franchise’s golden era. The move simultaneously revived a career trending further and further from a Hall of Fame trajectory. Verlander posted a middling 3.82 ERA in his final 28 starts with Detroit, then ripped off a five-start, five-win stretch to close the regular season in Houston. The first World Series title in Astros’ history followed shortly thereafter. So did the AL Cy Young in 2019 and 2022.
Verlander will have spent 13 years in Detroit, seven in Houston, one in San Francisco and part of one season in Queens if 2025 is indeed his final season. Simple length of tenure doesn’t tell the story of Verlander’s career. When he enters Cooperstown next decade, don’t be shocked if an Astros cap sits atop Verlander’s bearded plaque.
Verlander posted a 4.03 ERA across the last two seasons with the Mets and Astros, and he is expected to take a back-of-the-rotation role with the Giants in 2025. Houston fans could watch Verlander take the hill at Daikin Park early this season, with the Giants set to visit Houston on March 31, April 1 and April 2.
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Jan 7, 2025
