Are the stars aligning for Justin Verlander to return to the Tigers this winter? Verlander has acknowledged he's thought about a reunion with his former team, and his former team is on the rise under one of his former managers, A.J. Hinch, who would like to add a 'big piece' to Detroit's roster in free agency.
"There’s a lot to like about what’s going on and the job that A.J. and his staff and Al Avila are doing," Verlander's first manager, Jim Leyland, told the Stoney & Jansen Show. "I know fans get tired of hearing it, but I think we're much more athletic than we’ve been. We’re not there yet. It would be nice to pick up a guy, maybe a free agent or two this offseason, and I think we can be very, very close."
So, how about that Verlander guy? The two-time Cy Young winner could be the veteran ace of a dynamic young rotation in Detroit.
"I think you gotta be careful what you pay for sentiment," said Leyland, who serves as a special assistant to Avila and the Tigers.
Verlander turns 39 in February and hasn't pitched in over a year due to Tommy John. That's a lot of risk for the Tigers to inherit, even if Verlander has plans for pitching another 'five-plus years,' even if he turned back the clock in Houston prior to his elbow injury early last season.
"It might be a nice story, but we don’t know how Justin’s going to come back," Leyland said. "Would I love to see Justin finish in Detroit? Yes, I don’t want to sound hard-nosed here. I’m just saying, you gotta be careful with that. You don’t want to have a honeymoon if he’s not going to help this team. We need to win and we need to win pretty soon.
"If Justin’s a guy that can really help us, I wouldn’t bring him in just to tutor young pitchers. I would bring him in if he can win games for us, and there’s a good chance that he possibly can. I’m not saying he (can’t), so please, don’t take it the wrong way. But you gotta be careful getting involved with too much sentiment."
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Verlander and the Tigers are likely of the same mind. Rather than bringing their man home this winter, the Tigers might prefer to see how he rebounds somewhere else. And rather than reuniting with his former team at his first chance, Verlander might prefer to see how they fare next season from afar. Then both parties can reassess in the future.
Then again ... if the Tigers feel confident in Verlander's elbow, and Verlander feels confident in the Tigers' chances to contend in the near future, and if the price is right for both sides ... the sentiment might be worth it this winter.