Detroit Tigers: Justin Verlander reunion looking more and more like reality

This may go without saying, but the Detroit Tigers and former ace Justin Verlander could very likely end up taking the field in the Motor City once again. Not as an opposing pitcher but back in the Tigers home whites, mowing down hitters like the good ol’ days.

The Detroit Tigers are increasingly likely to be busy in the free-agent market ahead of the 2022 season and Verlander returning is not as much of a stretch as it may seem. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press recently wrote a story about the topic, boasting that Verlander is open to the reunion.

Petzold quoted Verlander as saying, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” which should have any Tigers fan fired up. Even coming off of Tommy John Surgery, Verlander seems to get better with age like a fine wine. (As Detroit Jock City Co-Expert Bob Heyrman once said in an article about the former ace)

He is going to be returning from rehabbing surgery and getting back into the swing of things. A reunion with the Tigers to join their rotation as it takes shape through the end of this rebuild would be a great scenario.

The Detroit Tigers reuniting with Justin Verlander looks even more like a reality.

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Since being traded by the Tigers to the Houston Astros in 2017, Verlander finished second in the Cy Young award, voting to Gerrit Cole, then won the Cy Young the next year.

He’s been phenomenal on the bump. But has not thrown a pitch since his first start of last year’s season in the 2020 shortened 60-game season.

Bringing Verlander back would make the trade feel a little bit better for Tigers fans, I would think.

Since Franklin Perez is long gone and Jake Rogers is not entirely what he was cracked up to be, and Daz Cameron is still coming into his own, the team would be getting their former ace back.

A return and reunion for the Tigers and Verlander shows a lot of rumors and brings questions.

Verlander will be returning post-sticky stuff crackdown. I do not want to point any fingers, but with metrics changing across the board for many arms, it will be intriguing to see how Verlander fares in his return to the big league mound for many reasons.

On top of that, Verlander is eyeing a return, it seems, and if he returned to Detroit, he might not be “the ace” with the reins of this rotation likely being en route to Casey Mize as he continues to perform incredibly well.

Fans will have to wait until this season is over to see if the reunion comes into fruition, but comments like this, thanks to Petzold and the Detroit Free Press’s interview, this reunion with Verlander looks like more and more of a reality.