The Houston Astros came to an agreement to keep their ace Justin Verlander around for at least one year. The news was first reported by FOX’s reporter and Verlander’s brother Ben Verlander.
Reportedly, the agreement will see the eight-time All-Star earn $25 million in 2022. The deal also has a player option for 2023.
After delivering an impressive 2019 campaign that saw him win his second AL Cy Young Award, Justin Verlander ended up playing just one game in the shortened 2020 MLB season due to a forearm strain. He ended up having to undergo a Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2021.
Entering the offseason as a free agent, Verlander recently organized a showcase for interested teams in order to demonstrate that the procedure and long break didn’t affect his pitching. It was reported at the time that 20 teams were in attendance, with most of them leaving impressed with what they saw from the 38-year-old.
Verlander joined the Astros midway through the 2017 season in a trade from the Detroit Tigers. He ended up becoming a key factor in Houston’s road to World Series win in the same year, picking up ALCS MVP honors along the way. He followed this up with two productive outings in 2018 and 2019, earning consecutive All-Star nods, finishing second and first in AL Cy Young Award voting, and picking up an All-MLB First Team nod.
Verlander, who had his MLB debut in 2005, is currently 226–129 in the majors. He has a career ERA of 3.33 with 3,013 strikeouts.
