Justin Verlander signs one-year deal with Giants

Justin Verlander signs one-year deal with Giants

Free-agent veteran starter Justin Verlander has signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan first reported Tuesday evening. The soon-to-be 42-year-old will be playing his 20th MLB season in 2025 after spending the last 1.5 seasons with the Houston Astros.

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

It was a very bad, injury-riddled 2024 for Verlander. He pitched to a 5.48 ERA with a 4.78 FIP, 74 strikeouts to just 27 walks in 90.1 innings last season. He dealt with a shoulder injury at the start of the season and then experienced a neck injury that lasted nearly two months, so it’s understandable why he was never able to find much of any rhythm.

Verlander is now three years removed from winning his third-ever AL CY Young Award; in 2022, he posted a career-best 1.75 ERA and 218 ERA+, striking out 185 batters in 175 innings.

Assuming he will be healthy at the start of 2025, I will be very curious to see if we see a version of him closer to 2023 (3.85 FIP; 131 ERA+) or one in 2024 in terms of sheer performance. He’s not getting any younger, so there’s no guarantee that he will have the juice in him to pitch well for 150-plus innings.

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Though Verlander will be pitching in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in MLB. This could also be his last eight-figure payday (as a pitcher) with nothing left to prove. The Giants’ rotation needs bodies and the aging Verlander may not be a terrible investment, even though there should be no real expectations for him at this stage of his career.

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