Will Justin Verlander eventually return to the Detroit Tigers, as I have been predicting ever since the moment he was traded to the Houston Astros?
Well, on Tuesday, Verlander was back in the Motor City as the Astros prepared to take on the Tigers at Comerica Park, and he talked about potentially finishing his career in Detroit, saying he’s “always open to the idea.”
Justin Verlander is always open to the idea’ of returning to the Detroit Tigers
There were some rumors floating around during the last offseason that Justin Verlander would return to the Detroit Tigers, but Verlander said the Tigers never reached out to his camp.
“It was not explored last offseason, the Tigers never really reached out,” he said. “I felt like they understood that they really weren’t in a place for me yet. Maybe, I don’t know. I never asked, but it never really came up.”
Instead, Verlander, who wants to play for a winning franchise, decided to sign a 2-year, $50 million deal.
“Still pitching at a high level, I want to be able to help a team win a championship,” Verlander said. “That’s what we play for, so I want to be on good ballclubs. It’s also a lot more fun playing on good teams. When you work yourself into a situation where you work hard your whole career, hopefully when you’re a free agent you have multiple suitors and good suitors. That’s where you want to be.”
So far this season, Verlander has been absolutely dominant as he is currently 16-3 with a 1.84 ERA, and he is still in the running, despite being injured, to win another Cy Young award.
The Tigers are a long way from being a championship team, so don’t look for him to finish in Detroit. My money says if he’s healthy after next season, he resigns with Houston or goes to a team like the Dodgers.