On Saturday, Justin Verlander signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
Verlander, a three-time AL Cy Young Award winner, will be a part of a rotation that is anchored by Logan Webb, an All-Star right-hander.
Verlander made 17 starts for the AL West-winning Houston Astros last season and was 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA. Due to shoulder irritation, he began the season on the injured list. From June 18 to August 21, he was also placed on the IL due to neck pain.
Verlander, who will be 42 next month, made five starts in September with an ERA of 9.26. When Detroit swept Houston in the AL Wild Card Series, Houston did not include him on their playoff roster. After failing to pitch 140 innings, which would have activated a $35 million player option, he became a free agent.
“I’m not ready to step away just yet, and I definitely feel like I want to continue pitching and competing,” Verlander stated in October.
The native of Virginia, who attended Old Dominion for college, has a 262-147 career record with a 3.30 ERA in 526 major league games.
Verlander played his first 12+ seasons in Detroit, when he went 24-5 with a 2.40 ERA, earned his first Cy Young Award, and was voted AL MVP in 2011.
In August 2017, he was moved to Houston, where he contributed to the team’s first World Series victory. During his tenure with the Astros, he won another title and two more Cy Young Awards.
Verlander agreed to a two-year, $86.7 million deal with the New York Mets in December 2022. Before being sent back to Houston for two minor league players, he made 16 starts for New York.
The Giants assigned catcher Blake Sabol in order to provide space for Verlander.
San Francisco also signed shortstop Willy Adames to a $182 million, seven-year contract in December, his first offseason since Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations in lieu of Farhan Zaidi.
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