Justin Verlander has opted out of his contract with the Houston Astros. What will the future bring?
Verlander won 18 regular-season games and finished with a 1.75 ERA and a WHIP of 0.83. He also picked up the 2022 AL Cy Young, his third. Astros owner Jim Crane has offered him $25 million to re-sign, but Verlander wants to see what the open market will yield. Reportedly, the Mets, New Yankees, and Dodgers are interested.
Verlander! (photo, ABC News)
Verlander seeks a Max Scherzer-type contact (his former Tigers’ pitching mate) with a three-year $130 million guarantee. That said, Crane wants him to stay, and Verlander’s wife, Kate Upton, likes the Houston area, commenting how much she loves how the city gets behind their Astros.
Would it be wise for another club to pay big money to get Verlander? It’s a dicey proposition. Consider how things turned out in Detroit when the Tigers signed a career-closing deal with another of Verlander’s former teammates, Miguel Cabrera.
Of course, I’d like to see Verlander re-sign so he can end his career right where he is now. But I also know money talks. So, the big question (to be answered soon) is whether another club is willing to roll the dice and sign one of baseball’s stars.
