Justin Verlander assessing possible opportunities with some big money ball clubs

Now that he will be 40 in April, Justin Verlander will be among the most intriguing free agents in recent memory. His career record of achievement now spans almost 20 years, making his MLB debut back in 2005. After one outing in 2020, Tommy John surgery put an end to his season. In 2021, he was unable to pitch at all.

The Astros still extended a qualifying offer to him a year ago despite two lost seasons, but they soon settled on a new deal. Justin Verlander had the option to leave the contract after 2022 as long as he pitched 130 innings during the year. This was under the terms of a two-year, $50 million deal that was split into $25 million per season.

Justin Verlander may very well be seeking some deep-pocket suitors

After winning his second championship with the Houston Astros, free agency prospect and likely AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander might be moving on to other opportunities. According to Ken Rosenthal, the 39-year-old potential Hall of Famer might be amenable to a bigger contract with a team with a sizable budget, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, or New York Mets.

The Mets' rotation may be severely impacted by free agency, which accounts for their probable interest. The Dodgers have a long history of adding superstar depth to a team that has been a behemoth for some time, and the Yankees could use another front-line starter. Although Verlander is close to 40-years-old, his skills appear to be very much intact.

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"Rosenthal: Verlander . . . seemed a good bet to re-sign quickly with the Astros. But it has not happened, perhaps because Verlander sees the potential for lucrative opportunities with the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers, among others" - MichiganYankees

Could Mets be the likely destination for Verlander?

According to numerous sources, the Mets are considering signing both future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and Japanese righty Kodai Senga. The team is weighing whether re-signing Jacob deGrom would be preferable to signing Justin Verlander to a high-paid, short-term contract akin to Max Scherzer's. Senga will probably need a bigger commitment because he is a true free agent and is not required to be posted.

Verlander and Senga were listed by analysts as the No. 6 and 23, respectively, of the free agents available this offseason. The Mets must acquire starters because, in addition to Jacob deGrom, they risk losing Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker to free agency.

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"Pursuing Justin Verlander at a contract similar to Max Scherzer's has been a discussion point within the Mets for a while now, and remains an active part of current discussions." - SNY_Mets

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

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Edited by Gaelin Leif