A future Hall of Fame pitcher is not ready to walk away from the game. Justin Verlander, who will turn 42 next February, plans on pitching in 2025.
“I think I do feel like I have a lot more to give pitching-wise,” Verlander said, via the Houston Chronicle. “This year was a tough year. Learned a lot from it.”
Justin Verlander was asked by @kristieAP about his mindset for his future in baseball.
— Paul Gallant (@GallantSays) October 2, 2024
“I definitely feel like I want to pitch and compete, and I’m not ready to step away yet.”#Relentless | @espn975 pic.twitter.com/u48xFZk2MS
It definitely was a tough year for Verlander, to say the least. He started the season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation and then went back on the IL in June with a neck issue.
Related: Three-time Cy Young winner reveals he came back from neck injury ‘a little fast’
He returned two months later in August, but the former Cy Young winner believes he came back too soon.
“I’ve talked to you guys about how I was feeling coming back and how I needed to push the issue a bit. Kind of a weird injury in the neck. Tried as best I could to get out there and be an asset to help this team in October but wasn’t able to do it,” Verlander noted to the Chronicle.
Verlander finished the season 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA. He pitched just 90 1/3 innings and gave up 55 earned runs. The Houston Astros left him off their postseason roster as they were swept in the Wild Card series by the Detroit Tigers.
“Obviously, wasn’t pitching well enough to be a part of this series,” Verlander told the Chronicle. “But having an offseason to kind of get things right, I definitely feel like I want to continue to pitch and compete. And I’m not ready to step away yet.”
Will the Houston Astros bring Justin Verlander back?
Verlander will now be a free agent as his two-year, $86.67 million contract has come to an end. Verlander signed the deal with the New York Mets prior to the 2023 season, but he was traded back to the Astros that same year at the trade deadline.
Out of his 19 seasons, he’s spent 13 of them in Houston. Do the Astros plan on bringing Verlander back for 2025?
“Ultimately, it sounds like he wants to come back, but we’re going to have some discussions with our front office … as to what’s best for the team,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said, via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.
Dana Brown on Verlander: "Ultimately, it sounds like he wants to come back, but we're going to have some discussions with our front office…as to what's best for the team."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 3, 2024
Verlander will surely not be making $43 million a year in his next deal, as he will be taking a significant pay cut to pitch in 2025. If a team does sign him, it will most likely be a one-year deal in the $10- to $15-million range.
During his career, Verlander is a three-time Cy Young winner, one-time AL MVP, two-time World Series champion, and nine-time All-Star.
Related: 4 reasons why the Houston Astros won’t win the World Series