Justin Verlander opens up about the family hurdles of readjusting after rejoining the Astros

In their quest for a third championship title, the Houston Astros and Justin Verlander have reunited. Verlander, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, will be returning to Houston following a deal finalized between the Astros and the New York Mets on Tuesday.

Five days prior, on Sunday, Verlander made his final start for the Mets in New York, defeating the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Although he no longer resides in Houston, he still has an apartment in New York. Transitioning between clubs, even if it was a smooth move to the Astros, comes with its challenges.

“I feel like I was just really starting to get settled in the city and my apartment, and my family was really getting used to things here,” he said. “You start building a life off the field. You try to build a life in the city that you're in and you start getting comfortable and you make friends, and so that part is really difficult. It's a lot on the family.”

Justin Verlander helped the Astros win a World Series

After recovering from Tommy John surgery in Houston in 2022, Verlander, 40, won his third Cy Young Award and assisted in guiding the team to its second World Series victory in six years.

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While Verlander inked a two-year, $86.7 million contract with the free-spending Mets, the Astros decided not to actively pursue a reunion with him throughout the winter. Instead, they put their confidence in what appeared to be a youthful and deep rotation.

“It feels a little weird because it hasn't been that long, so it feels like you don't miss a beat and you're right back in the locker room. But on the other hand, there's this whole segment that happened. So here I am still staying in my apartment in New York. It’s a really odd feeling. Hard to explain.”

Two months before the team won a title that was later tarnished by the sign-stealing incident, the Astros first acquired Verlander from the Detroit Tigers in a late-August trade in 2017. Verlander continued on to spend the most of the following five years with the Astros, contributing as one of the team's pillar players as it rose to become one of the most dominating in the league.