MLB.com leaves door open for high-profile Tigers reunion fans are dying for

The Detroit Tigers have been linked in free agency to a member of the 2024 Houston Astros team they defeated in the ALDS – and no, we're not talking about Alex Bregman.

Former Tigers pitcher and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander will likely be looking for a new team in 2025 after spending parts of seven seasons with the Astros, and Jason Beck of MLB.com believes there's a chance he could return to the team that drafted him at No. 2 overall back in 2004.

"The rotation is getting a little crowded now, but as general managers like to say, you can never have enough pitching," Beck wrote. "The longer Verlander lingers on the market, the more intriguing the idea of a reunion on a short-term contract becomes."

MLB.com leaves door open for high-profile Tigers reunion fans are dying for, but is it realistic?

With his 42nd birthday coming up in February, Verlander won't be looking for a long-term contract, which is music to the Tigers' ears. However, while Detroit likes bringing in free agents on one-year deals, Beck pointed out that Verlander doesn't exactly fit the bill alongside the Tigers' recent pitcher signings.

Jack Flaherty was 28, and Michael Lorenzen was 31, and both signed with Detroit on one-year "prove-it" deals in an effort to increase their future value on the free agent market. However, the Tigers have already signed 37-year-old Alex Cobb, who was considering retirement, to a one-year deal for 2025; could this be a sign that they are becoming more flexible in their free agent signing policy?

On one hand, the Tigers already have Cobb, so they may not want to bring another aging veteran into the fold. On the other hand, Verlander isn't simply another aging veteran in Detroit; he's a living legend there. Sure, he's coming off a down year in 2024 due in large part to injuries, but even if he returns to his 2023 form, he'd be a valuable addition to Detroit's starting rotation – and likely at a very reasonable price.

Signing Verlander to a one-year deal would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Tigers. If there is mutual interest and the price is right, they should certainly be considering it.

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