Justin Verlander's intro press conference quotes will make Tigers fans regret passing on him

When Detroit Tigers legend and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the San Francisco Giants – identical to the one Alex Cobb signed with the Tigers – fans hoping for a Verlander homecoming in Detroit were understandably disappointed. Unfortunately, Verlander's introductory press conference with San Francisco didn't do much to ease that disappointment.

Verlander, who turns 42 in February, said his goal in 2025 is "proving that I still have it" after a career-worst season in 2024 that saw him finish with a 5.48 ERA over 17 starts with the Houston Astros while battling shoulder and neck injuries. He said that he has been throwing all offseason and is already up to 92 mph, which he said is “miles ahead of where [he] was last year at this time.”

Verlander wants there to be no doubts about his aspirations in 2025. He's aware of his age, but he isn't interested in a "farewell tour" just yet. If he had opted to come back to Detroit this year, it wouldn't be to retire; it would be to win.

“I think you can tell that the passion is still there," Verlander said. “The fire is still burning. I'm really viewing this past year's issues as [having the] potential to send me down the path that I want to go down to finish my career and be able to play until 45 or more. It's not too dissimilar to 2014, '15. I ended up having core issues and core surgery. And what I learned through that process really was what allowed me to pitch the way I have up until last year.”

Justin Verlander's intro press conference quotes will make Tigers fans regret passing on him

Verlander, who is just two seasons removed from winning the third Cy Young Award of his career, may no longer be in his athletic prime; still, he believes that his age and experience both on and off the baseball diamond add a new dimension to the value he will bring to the Giants' roster.

“As I’ve gotten older, more mature, especially as a father, learning to communicate better, I really feel like I’ve been able to take those blinders off and be more of a help to the younger guys around me,” Verlander said. “I think it’s something that I’m continually working on, and I get a lot of reward from that now. It’s really cool coming into camp and having some guys who are young with a high ceiling that I really just want to lay eyes on.”

If "guys who are young with a high ceiling" doesn't describe the 2025 Tigers, then what does? Detroit has one of the youngest rosters in baseball with an average age of 26.9, and it was the influx of youth during the second half of the 2024 season that sparked the Tigers' magical stretch run that took them all the way to the ALDS.

And don't get us started on 22-year-old Jackson Jobe, the former first-round pick and AL Rookie of the Year candidate who will get a chance to compete for a spot in the Tigers' starting rotation at spring training this year. That certainly sounds like the type of guy Verlander would enjoy working with.

For now, though, Tigers fans will just have to hope the club made the right choice in signing Cobb over Verlander. But if Verlander has a resurgent year that drives up his price in free agency next offseason, the Tigers will have no one to blame but themselves.

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