Justin Verlander, who spent 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, is returning to the team for one last season having signed a 1-year contract worth $13 million. Of that $13 million, $11 million will be paid out through 2030.
Verlander, who turns 43 later this month, spent 2025 season with the San Francisco Giants where he had a subpar 4-11 record with a decent 3.85 ERA over 29 starts. While Verlander is not the ace pitcher he was in 2022 when he won his third AL Cy Young Award, he still has gravitas and could help the Tigers get over the hump in search of their first World Series title since 1984.
He will join a starting rotation which includes back-to-back AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal who last week earned a record $32 million in arbitration before he becomes a free agent at the end of this season and Verlander's former Houston Astros teammate Framber Valdez who signed a 3-year, $115 million contract with the Tigers last week.
Verlander earned two World Series rings with the Astros in 2017 and in 2022 (the latter alongside Valdez) and would like to finish his career with a ring with the Tigers. Of course, Verlander went to the Fall Classic with the Tigers during his rookie season in 2006 and in 2012 but were bested by the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, respectively.
He enters the 2026 season in eighth place on MLB's all-time strikeout list with 3553. It is conceivable that by season's end he could leapfrog Hall of Famers Don Sutton, Tom Seaver and Bert Blyleven for fifth place on the all-time strikeout list.
Detroit Tigers fans have a lot to be excited about in 2026 and the return of Justin Verlander has just added to that excitement.
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