Detroit Tigers: 5 free agents to target this offseason
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers better explore bringing Justin Verlander home.
The Detroit Tigers have to pick up the phone and call up Justin Verlander this offseason. Figuring out what it will take to bring Verlander home to Detroit is something this organization’s front office has to do their due diligence on at a minimum.
Having Verlander back with the Tigers organization would bring a lot of smiles to people in this fanbase. Given the state of the rebuild, he would be the perfect veteran to anchor things down. There are some question marks, but Verlander ages incredibly well and has proven that.
Who says no? The Houston Astros say no.
The Astros are going to try and keep their ace with them; he missed all of 2020 but one start and all of the 2021 season while undergoing Tommy John Surgery and recovering. The 38-year old star pitcher’s last full season comes in 2019, where he was the Cy Young Award winner.
In 2019, Verlander pitched 223 innings where he was 21-6 while carrying a 2.58 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and adding 300 punchouts to his record. It’s hard to think Verlander is going to dip off completely.
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The injury is certainly a setback, but the Tigers have to take a flier on bringing Verlander home. He’s a starting pitcher that could mentor these youngsters. Verlander could work with Casey Mize and pass on his wisdom from one ace to another.