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After undergoing Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2021 season, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander entered free agency with his future with the franchise in doubt.
The 39-year-old pitcher was coming off major surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow, and many wondered if he would ever return to form given his age and the nature of the injury.
Despite the factors working against him, Verlander knew he wanted to return to pitch. When healthy, he proved that he could still be a Cy Young caliber pitcher in his late 30s, and the future Hall-of-Famer wasn’t yet ready to hang up the cleats.
While he ultimately returned to Houston, the path to re-signing with the club was not always a sure-thing.
“Houston was at the top of the list,” Verlander told ESPN.
“As negotiations started going, they kind of fell off. Some other teams really started to show a lot of interest. I would say that the leader was probably Toronto. They were great. And I talked to George [Springer] a bunch. They were very proactive to the point that when I signed with Houston, I made sure to let them know that I appreciated it all. Ultimately, when it came down to it, Houston had the same offer. It was all kind of ballpark between them and Toronto, and New York [Yankees] was kind of always just a step behind.”
Verlander signed a one-year, $25 million deal to return to the Astros, which included a player option for $25 million that he could exercise if he reaches 130 innings this season. Verlander has already logged 78 and two-thirds innings with 78 strikeouts and a 1.94 ERA.
His return to form following surgery is a major reason why the Astros enter Friday with a 39–24 record and a nine-game lead in the AL West.
