Justin Verlander will not be pitching for the Red Sox in 2022.
Verlander plans to re-sign with the Astros, as his brother, FOX Sports MLB analyst Ben Verlander, tweeted early Wednesday evening. It’s a one-year, $25 million deal and includes a player option for 2023, according to FOX 26′s Mark Berman.
Verlander, who missed the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in Sept. 2020, held a showcase last week in Florida that was attended by 15-20 teams, including the Red Sox. Speaking at the general managers meetings in southern California last week, Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom confirmed the club was poking around on the two-time Cy Young winner despite the fact he will be 39 next season.
“Age might affect the term (number of years) you consider, but if the present ability is there then why wouldn’t you be interested?” Bloom said. “We’ve seen it time and again. There’s a lot of guys who are up there in years that can still perform at a really high level.”
Verlander’s pedigree and recent track record of success (he won the 2019 American League Cy Young award) made him attractive to a handful of clubs, including the Yankees, Tigers, Angels, White Sox, Braves and others. It’s unclear if the Red Sox made an offer before Verlander chose to return to Houston, where he has pitched since being acquired from the Tigers in Aug. 2017.
Verlander is the third notable starting pitcher to sign this week, joining former Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who signed with the Tigers, and former Mets righty Noah Syndergaard, who inked a deal with the Angels. Many starters remain on the open market, including Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray, Max Scherzer, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Jon Gray, Steven Matz and Alex Wood.
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Boston Red Sox attended free agent Justin Verlander’s workout in Florida on Monday
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