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Tigers' Justin Verlander reunion dreams officially dead after NL West team strikes

Eric Cole
Eric Cole

Motor City Bengals

Sep 11, 2018; Detroit, MI, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) in the dugout during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Before he went on to find loads of success and solidify his Hall of Fame career with Astros (and sort of the Mets), Justin Verlander spent 2005-2017 as the jewel of the Detroit Tigers rotation. During that time, he won Rookie of the Year and a Cy Young (2011), finished in the top five of Cy Young voting an additional four times, and gave the Tigers a 3.47 ERA across 2,339 innings. In short, he was an absolute stud.

Unfortunately, circumstances in 2017 were so bad that the Tigers traded Verlander to the Astros for a three-player package that included Jake Rogers. The right-hander would go on to win a pair of World Series and two more Cy Young awards in Houston, and Tigers fans were left wondering what might have been.

The last couple of seasons haven't treated Verlander quite as well now that he is on the wrong side of 40. But this offseason, he was available for the taking at a relatively cheap price due to his struggles with injuries. Tigers fans held out hope regarding a possible reunion.

However, it's not happening. Verlander he is going to try to last one more season, but he will do it with the San Francisco Giants on a one-year contract.

Tigers News: Justin Verlander signs with SF Giants

According to the latest updates, Verlander will earn $15 million for the 2025 season, which is also known as "Alex Cobb money."

There was no shortage of Detroit fans that were hoping that the Tigers would bring Verlander back, but the hits keep on coming. Admittedly, that seemed like a longshot bid to begin with as the connection between the two sides felt loose at best, and it's hard to ignore that he isn't the same pitcher he once was.

The Giants, however, seem willing to take on the risk. Sure, it would have been fun for Verlander to pitch in a Tigers uniform one last time. However, the financial cost and the opportunity cost in terms of roster space may have just been too much for Detroit to consider the move given their playoff aspirations. Hopefully he does great out west and gets to go out with a bang.

Tigers fans are just hoping the front office didn't prioritize Cobb over Verlander.

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Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.