In a current look on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” podcast, Astros GM Dana Brown mentioned the membership had been in touch with free-agent right-hander Justin Verlander a few doable reunion.
“We’ve had conversations together with his agent [ISE’s Mark Pieper] simply to attempt to really feel him out. I don’t know if there’s been lots of progress, however we’re having conversations,” Brown mentioned.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t sound like both facet is sort of able to make a transfer this comparatively early within the offseason. As Brown famous earlier within the podcast, the Astros’ prime precedence for the time being is making an attempt to re-sign Alex Bregman. That prime-profile pursuit is taking a lot of the group’s focus, even when Brown famous that the membership is doing its due diligence on different potential strikes (equivalent to discovering one other third baseman) as nicely.
“If [Verlander] continues to work and he’s wholesome, it’s going to be attention-grabbing to see the place he goes and the way a lot he will get. However I’m positive there will probably be a bunch of groups calling the agent,” Brown mentioned.
That is maybe studying an excessive amount of into wording, however Brown’s phrasing virtually appeared to indicate extra of an arm’s size strategy, as if the Astros had been extra curious spectators to Verlander’s market than energetic members.
Verlander turns 42 in February, however he made it clear following the season that he needed to return in 2025, and rebound from an injury-marred 2024 marketing campaign. The suitable-hander was restricted to 90 1/3 innings as a result of a pair of injured-list stints prompted by shoulder harm after which neck discomfort. The latter harm was notably troublesome, as Verlander missed about 2.5 months due his neck difficulty and didn’t pitch nicely after he returned, leaving him feeling like he in all probability tried to come back again too rapidly. The top outcome was a 5.48 ERA, the very best of Verlander’s profession other than the 7.11 ERA he posted over an 11 1/3-inning pattern dimension in his very first main league season in 2005.
It was simply two seasons in the past that Verlander gained his third AL Cy Younger Award, and in 2023, he was nonetheless strong with a 3.22 ERA over 162 1/3 innings with the Mets and Astros. A case can actually be made that Verlander has extra to contribute if wholesome, and the righty has already defied Father Time as soon as by delivering that final Cy Younger campaigns after a Tommy John surgical procedure price him just about all the 2020 and ’21 seasons.
That mentioned, no one could be stunned if age and accidents merely caught as much as Verlander, and 2023 was actually his final hurrah as a productive beginning pitcher. As Brown famous, Verlander’s observe report alone will result in curiosity from a number of groups, however it’s comprehensible if the Astros had been prepared to maneuver on slightly than danger being left holding the bag if Verlander declined additional.
Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti are lined up as the highest 4 of Houston’s rotation, and the in-house candidates for the fifth starter’s function all include massive health-related query marks. Lance McCullers Jr. has missed the final two seasons as a result of accidents, Luis Garcia hasn’t pitched since Might 2023 as a result of a Tommy John surgical procedure and a few setbacks, J.P. France missed most of 2024 as a result of shoulder surgical procedure, and Cristian Javier had a TJ surgical procedure final June and isn’t assured to pitch in any respect in 2025. Including a dependable veteran arm to the combination actually is smart for Houston, although Verlander may not match the invoice given his personal well being standing.
