Tigers' Justin Verlander update could end up making contract worth everybody's time

Justin Verlander may be retiring at the end of the season, but he hasn't given up on his desire to get back onto the mound one last time for the Tigers.

That's looked like an impossible task for most of this season. The last time the Tigers thought he might be able to pitch in a game was late June, when a hamstring injury was piled on top of a hip injury and he was scratched two days before he could make his return to Comerica Park. After a long period of inactivity, he started to build back up again slowly, but no one was getting their hopes up.

However, the Tigers saw a promising new development over the weekend, when Verlander threw live BP ahead of Detroit's second game against the Rockies. He's on track to throw a sim game during the Tigers' series against the White Sox in Chicago, starting on Sept. 17.

The goal is to get him back for one last ride on Sept. 27 against the Pirates, the Tigers' last home series of the season and a weekend Chris McCosky of the Detroit News dubbed Ver-Fest.

If he can actually make it happen, it might make the existing regret from his contract diminish somewhat — maybe even vanish entirely.

Justin Verlander, Tigers aiming for Sept. 27 farewell outing at Comerica Park

Verlander signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Tigers back in February, $11 million of which is deferred, $1.1 million a year from 2030 through 2039. That's a negligible amount of money in baseball terms, and it's kept his contract from being a burden on this year's or any future payroll. Even if Verlander doesn't get back onto the mound this season, no one will be raging about $1.1 million clogging up the payroll in a few years time.

He could be taking it easy this year, enjoying his victory lap and mentoring the young guys, but Tigers fans know that's not who JV is.

He admitted that the hamstring issue he's been dealing with is one that's going to stick around well into his retirement, but he's still trying to get right enough for the storybook ending.

If he does make it out there, it probably won't be for long. Even five innings feel like a real stretch unless he manages to work incredibly efficiently. That might not matter much to Tigers fans, though. For Verlander to pitch the last start of his career, in the park where he spent the majority of his career, on a weekend dedicated to him? Just a little glimpse at vintage Ver might make it worth it.

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