Detroit Tigers: Could Justin Verlander return to the organization?
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers should bring back Justin Verlander to finish out his career in the Motor City while the team returns to competitive levels.
The 2020 season has been interesting, but the Detroit Tigers have been able to call up some of their younger talents and give them a look in the big leagues. Given this continues into 2021, best-case scenario, the Tigers are starting to look to turn the corner in 2022.
Now bare with me, they should finish out the Tigers rotation with the signing of Justin Verlander. It’s the ultimate comeback story of a beloved former Tigers player who has aged like fine wine and is looking to bounce back from Tommy John Surgery.
If Verlander can even return remotely close to what he has been, even at the age of 37 (now), he would still be incredibly good. If the Tigers could add him into the starting rotation as just one of the five arms they trot out there, come on, that would be incredible.
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The 2020 season was not very kind to Verlander, who finds himself on the sidelines with an elbow injury and will have to undergo Tommy John Surgery.
It is a tough break for the right-hander, and he will have to make quite the comeback being 37 years old now and still having to recover.
Looking at Verlander’s contract, he is with the Astros through the 2021 season but becomes a free agent for the 2022 season.
Providing the Tigers window is starting to crack open, this would be the perfect move.
Signing Verlander to come in as a “no pressure” three or four starter, hoping he can find his stuff and be the same Verlander he has been, is 100% worth the money.
The Detroit Tigers need to see the benefit they could get by bringing back Justin Verlander when he becomes a free agent.
Assuming all remains well and Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Matt Manning all start falling into place, the rotation would be dominant.
Verlander’s veteran presence and postseason experience, and just abilities on the mound would mix so well with the young core of pitchers that the Tigers organization has. The Tigers would be silly not to be kicking around the idea of signing Verlander.
After all, Verlander has spent thirteen years with the Tigers organization as it is, being drafted by them way back in the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft. While it may be the *asterisk* marked World Series of 2017, Verlander got his ring, why not come back to Detroit and try it again?
The Tigers dealt him in 2017, where he won the World Series with the Houston Astros, whether it is an asterisk marked win or not, he won his ring. Given that the Tigers would hope to be pursuing a postseason and eventually World Series sooner rather than later, this only helps their cause.
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The Detroit Tigers would be silly not to go out and try to sign Justin Verlander, bringing him back to where it all started.