A year ago, Justin Verlander was interested. The Tigers were not. Could things be different now?
Verlander is still available as spring training beckons, and the Tigers are still shopping for starting pitching. Unlike last year, when Verlander was coming off the worst season of his career marred by shoulder and neck injuries, the soon-to-be 43-year-old finished last season with a flourish.
Scott Harris is quick to cite a pitcher's most recent impression after acquiring one via free agency or trade. Strong closing statements by Michael Lorenzen and Matthew Boyd in 2022, Kenta Maeda in 2023 and Alex Cobb in 2024 were a big part of Harris' rationale for signing them in the ensuing offseasons. Like it or not, Charlie Morton at last year's deadline followed the same logic.
It helps explain why the Tigers weren't so keen on Verlander last winter. And when Verlander was asked last May if the door remains open to a reunion with the Tigers, which has always been in the back of his mind, it helps explain why he said, "I don’t know. That’s a question for them. I called this offseason and they weren’t interested."
The Tigers might dispute that exact version of events, but the facts are that Verlander was very much open to returning to Detroit after the Tigers returned to the playoffs the season prior and that the Tigers didn't see Verlander as a fit for their rotation. They instead signed Cobb to a one-year, $15 million deal, the same deal Verlander wound up signing with the Giants.
"What I try to focus on is the business side of things," Verlander said during his stop in Detroit last season, "and it’s like, OK, I understand, they said they had some younger guys they wanted to get a look at, which is also fair. Then they did go out and sign Cobb, so that was a little confusing to me. But yeah, I was a little surprised at the pretty quick, like, not interested. I called and was told, 'No thank you.' And I was like, alright, I understand, you got some young guys. Nothing against Cobb. He’s had some great success."
Cobb, who was 37 at the time, never threw a pitch for the Tigers due to a hip injury that he couldn't overcome. His career is likely over. Verlander started slowly for the Giants and was shelved for a month by a pec injury, including when San Francisco came to Detroit, but got healthy and finished with a 3.85 ERA in 29 starts.
No pitcher in baseball knows his own body better than Verlander. Which makes sense: no active pitcher has thrown even close to as many innings as Verlander in the majors. When he was sidelined last season, Verlander reaffirmed that he intends to pitch until the age of 45 -- maybe even longer -- and said that with "the adjustments I made this offseason after my neck injury (in 2024), it’s been night and day."
"The results stat-line wise haven’t been there, but I’ve actually been pitching a lot better than that," he said. "And I’m actually fairly happy with the progress I’ve been making. So, kind of pissed this (injury) happened because I really was thinking I was right on the cusp of going on a good f**king run."
Verlander was right. He returned to the mound in June, found his groove after the All-Star break, and over his final 13 starts posted a 2.60 ERA with a batting average against of .228. Over his final six starts, a 1.76 ERA with a .206 batting average against. Just for fun, Tarik Skubal had a 2.21 ERA with a .200 batting average against last season while winning his second straight AL Cy Young award.
2024 ended so terribly for Verlander that he was left off the Astros' postseason roster when they got bounced by the Tigers in the wild card round. He closed 2025 performing like one of the best pitchers in baseball again.
"I still love it," he said in Detroit. "I still love the game, still put in the work that’s necessary, which is a lot. If I was tired, that would be an indication that it’s time to go. No, I’m completely willing to do the work. I enjoy it. I enjoy learning, too, and how adaptable you have to be. And that’s the thing, through every injury you have to learn a lot and what I learned last year about my neck has really pointed me, I think, in a direction that’s going to allow me to pitch longer than I would have if it hadn’t happened."
The Tigers know they need more depth in their rotation. It has the potential to be a strength, but Jack Flaherty raises consistency questions, Reese Olson and Casey Mize raise durability concerns, and Troy Melton still has tons to prove in the majors. If the rotation falters due to injuries or underperformance and the Tigers' only fallback is Drew Anderson, the journeyman they signed for $7 million who hasn't pitched in the bigs since 2021, they will deserve the heat that comes their way.
Hence Detroit's reported interest in free agent pitchers Nick Martinez, Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito and Jose Quintana. Bassitt is the most stable option, having made 30-plus starts each of the last four seasons. Giolito, 31, has the highest upside, a former All-Star who bounced back from elbow surgery in 2024 to pitch well last year for the Red Sox. Martinez is the most versatile, which we know the Tigers crave, with tons of experience out of the bullpen. Quintana is a lefty.
If the Tigers are interested in those pitchers, shouldn't they be interested in Verlander? He'd be a big personality to add to their tight-knit clubhouse, and he'd become the headliner, in some ways, of a rotation that features the best pitcher in baseball. But Verlander is a fan of Skubal's. He had no issue, by any accounts, pitching behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray in San Francisco.
Detroit still holds a special place in Verlander's heart. It always will. It doesn't feel so much like home anymore when he returns, "but I still ask my buddies who are around here, like, 'How's the city?'" he said. He looks back fondly on the Tigers' renaissance that mirrored the start of Detroit's. Verlander helped spark a baseball revival, then stoked it for another decade.
"The team was such a part of the city back in '06, '07 and '08 and what the city was going through and how they really rallied around us and that magical run in '06, and from there it kind of took of," he said. "I just feel like our team and the city were so connected, with the rebirth and regrowth of the city, that I really resonate with that."
Verlander was reminiscing now, taking a trip down memory lane. He didn't stop at the Tigers.
"And the hockey team was great," he said. "Looking now at how the sports franchises are performing, you have the Lions doing well, you have the Tigers doing well again, Pistons, Red Wings, it’s just something that makes the city really vibe and gives them something to cheer for as a whole, and that, to me, is cool, when things are going well with the sports teams that people really love in this town. When multiple are doing really well at the same time, it’s a cool vibe."
Verlander remembers sellouts and sizzle during his time with the Tigers. Stars will have that effect. The Tigers were off to a strong start when their former ace came through last May, but the crowds at Comerica never quite caught up: Detroit finished 16th in the majors in attendance. Verlander said he "was excited to see the stadium and how the atmosphere was" upon his return.
"It wasn’t quite what it used to be," he said after the first game of the series between the Tigers and Giants. "But I think it’ll get there."
Adding a healthy Verlander certainly wouldn't hurt.