Headlines

  • Rangers Option Josh Jung
  • Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement
  • Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture
  • Braves Designate Alex Verdugo For Assignment
  • Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin
  • Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Justin Verlander Extension Reactions

By Tim Dierkes | February 4, 2010 at 8:56am CDT

The Tigers agreed to a five-year, $80MM deal with ace Justin Verlander yesterday – $2MM more than Felix Hernandez received upon signing in January.  The deal buys out Verlander's final two arbitration years and three free agent seasons.  Reactions from around the web:

  • ESPN's Buster Olney compares Verlander to Dwight Gooden, and says the Tigers "are right to commit an enormous contract to a guy who won't be 27 for another couple of weeks, and who has established a nice base for what might turn out to be a Hall of Fame career."  Interestingly, Baseball-Reference lists Wade Miller and Hernandez as Verlander's top two comparables.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes the rarity of under-30 aces reaching the free agent market.
  • Zack Greinke will be 29 when he's eligible for free agency after the 2012 season, writes Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star.  More so than Verlander, Greinke and Hernandez are positioned to enter free agency in their prime if they choose.
  • MLB.com's Jason Beck says the Tigers are one of three teams now on track to have two players earning more than $20MM at the same time.  ESPN's Rob Neyer points out that the Tigers "will shed an immense amount of payroll obligations over the next couple of years."
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports still feels that Verlander "has accomplished more than Hernandez in the major leagues."  I still disagree, but they're close and the contracts are virtually a wash.
Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Detroit Tigers Justin Verlander

Pirates Notes: Harper, Free Agents, Ankiel
Main
Phillies Sign Oscar Villarreal
View Comments (23)
Post a Comment

23 Comments

  1. w44

    15 years ago

    Hernandez is way better.

    Reply
  2. w44

    15 years ago

    Hernandez is way better.

    Reply
  3. CreativeMace

    15 years ago

    I may be one of the few Tiger fans who have supported all of their off-season decisions. This one will much be easier to swallow for the majority of Tiger fans compared to the dealing of Granderson.

    Reply
    • chicothekid

      15 years ago

      This one was a no-brainer for the Tigers. You give him what he wants to keep him in Detroit. With as many bad contracts as they have, they obviously can afford to spend some money and need to give fans a reason to come to the games, and this guy is only gonna get better. The longer you waited, the more you were gonna hear rumors like A-Gone, and that wasn’t going to help your franchise one bit.

      Reply
    • chicothekid

      15 years ago

      This one was a no-brainer for the Tigers. You give him what he wants to keep him in Detroit. With as many bad contracts as they have, they obviously can afford to spend some money and need to give fans a reason to come to the games, and this guy is only gonna get better. The longer you waited, the more you were gonna hear rumors like A-Gone, and that wasn’t going to help your franchise one bit.

      Reply
  4. CreativeMace

    15 years ago

    I may be one of the few Tiger fans who have supported all of their off-season decisions. This one will much be easier to swallow for the majority of Tiger fans compared to the dealing of Granderson.

    Reply
  5. Max Staples

    15 years ago

    I believe that the Tigers paid to much for this deal vs Felix H.. True enough Jason had more wins than Felix but that only shows a better supporting cast that what Felix had so having said that Felix is the better pitcher because;

    Hernandez is almost three years younger than Verlander.
    Hernandez has a better career ERA, ERA+, and FIP.
    They’re similar (Hernandez being slightly better) in career innings, strikeout rate, walk rate, and home run rate.
    Regarding Verlander’s seven extra career wins in six fewer starts, look at run support. Verlander has received 5.2 runs scored per start, Felix 4.3.

    So the bottom is line Detroit over paid for a lesser pitcher.

    Reply
    • RestoreTheRoar

      15 years ago

      Interesting THEORY. Could also be that Felix took less money than he could have gotten, and Verlander got paid what he’s worth.

      its also worth pointing out that Felix has been under professional baseball training years longer than Justin was (his name isnt Jason btw), he started when he was 19.

      so even if Felix is younger, he’s also had more time as a pro baller. After watching them both in person, probably more than anyone else on these boards- I’d have to agree with Morosi.

      As far as the run support in JV’s favor, what about Felix having the #1 defense in the league backing his numbers up… You think that didnt inflate his numbers? I think thats the main reason Zack killed Felix in the Cy Young nominations. Its not as tough to be an outstanding pitcher with Ichiro, Beltre, Guti, and Jack Wilson behind you.

      Reply
      • angrysmurf

        15 years ago

        Exactly RestoreTheRoar, especially with the mostly poor defense Verlander has had to put up with (Ordonez, Thames, Guillen, and Cabrera anyone?).

        Reply
  6. vtadave

    15 years ago

    Seeing as how Verlander has slightly less service time than Felix Hernandez, one can either say that the Tigers overpaid or that the Mariners got Hernandez locked up at a discount. I’d be inclined to lean towards the latter myself, but the Tigers did well either way to lock up their ace.

    Reply
  7. bjsguess

    15 years ago

    This question really boils down to whether you think the 09 version of Hernandez is what you can expect going forward or that 09 he outperformed his expected future.

    For me, I think 09 was a great year by Hernandez and won’t likely be repeated with any consistency. Verlander, on the other hand, can repeat his 09 season pretty easily (he’s basically had 2 similar seasons already). With Verlander you can count on an ERA in the low to mid 3’s and 200+ innings.

    Reply
  8. whitesoxfan424

    15 years ago

    I’ll be the unpopular one here, but I agree in that Verlander has accomplished more to this date, HOWEVER Felix will have better career numbers comparatively barring injuries and cheeseburgers. If and when Felix goes FA, he’ll sign with the yankees or some other fierce competitive team and get his post-season accolades.

    He just needs to stay fit and healthy, where I do not think you have to worry about that with Justin (not Jason Mr. Staples).

    Reply
  9. alxn

    15 years ago

    Morosi is a moron.

    “Sure, Hernandez has the better career ERA. And he is younger. But Verlander has won more games, posted more seasons of 15 victories or more, made more appearances in the All-Star Game.”

    wow….

    Reply
  10. MichiganYankee

    15 years ago

    Are years 23-27 really more valuable than years 27-31?

    From a supply-side perspective, Verlander’s age makes him more expensive. Felix will get to hit the open market age 28 (like Sabathia), while Verlander will have a much lower market value at age 32.

    Reply
  11. aquanarc

    15 years ago

    Wade Miller? This is why Bill James is more of a figurehead in the sabremetric community these days than someone to actually listen to.

    Reply
  12. alleykat23

    15 years ago

    Lincecum’s better then both these guys,and yet the Giants won’t commit to their franchise player long term.Unbelievable.

    Reply
    • Infield Fly

      15 years ago

      Yes, Lincecum is better, and while things aren’t looking good at the moment don’t sweat too much. Everybody knows he’s your franchise so Sabean & Co. will have to wake up sooner or later. There’s just too much at stake not to nail him for as long as possible.

      Reply
  13. tigerphil

    15 years ago

    whoa hang on a second. i agree lincecum is a good pitcher, but i don’t know that he’s better than verlander or hernandez. the reason i say that is because lincecum pitches in the NL west, which has been the weakest division in baseball for a while now. most of his career is built on pitching against a weak NL west; plus, he’s practically guaranteed almost three strikeouts a game going up against the pitcher. verlander and hernandez don’t enjoy that luxury, most especially when they’re facing teams like the yankees, red sox, twins, angels, etc. i’m not saying lincecum isn’t as good, because it’s hard to say; but those kind of things are at least part of the discussion. i mean, there’s a reason the AL has won like 12 all-star games in a row.

    Reply
    • Joey 3

      15 years ago

      I’m pretty sure the NL West had 3 playoff caliber teams last year..?

      Reply
  14. Joey 3

    15 years ago

    Also Lincecum stuff vs his division opponents last season:

    Dodgers: 4 starts, 1-1 record, 4.56 ERA, 25.2 IP
    Rockies: 3 starts, 2-1 record, 1.64 ERA, 22.0 IP
    Padres: 3 starts, 1-1 record, 3.79 ERA, 19.0 IP
    Dbacks: 3 starts, 2-0 record, 1.17 ERA, 23.0 IP

    In total, 13 starts with 6-3 record, 2.83 ERA, 89.2 IP

    His ERA for the year was 2.48, so he must’ve done better against teams outside of his division.

    He was also 2-1 in interleague play with a 1.38 ERA in 3 starts.

    Reply
  15. RestoreTheRoar

    15 years ago

    I dont think he’s trying to say Tim isnt a great pitcher, but you have to admit his K’s total and ERA are certainly inflated due to seeing a pitcher at least 3 times a game in the batter’s box.

    I cant say JV, Felix, or Tim are any better than each other…but anyone throwing out stats from one league the next isnt really looking at balanced data.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Braves Designate Alex Verdugo For Assignment

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Pirates Reportedly Have Very Few Untouchable Players At Trade Deadline

    Griffin Canning Believed To Have Suffered Achilles Injury

    Mariners Looking For Corner Infield Bats; Ownership Willing To Bump Payroll

    Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse

    Mariners Place Rowdy Tellez On Release Waivers

    Max Meyer To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

    Whit Merrifield Announces Retirement

    White Sox Sign Noah Syndergaard To Minor League Deal

    Recent

    MLB Mailbag: Braves, Cubs, Sasaki, Angels, Volpe

    MLBTR Podcast: Depleted Mets’ Pitching, The Pirates Are Open For Business, And More!

    Trade Deadline Outlook: Washington Nationals

    Mets To Select Rico Garcia

    D-Backs, Seth Brown Agree To Deal

    D-Backs GM Mike Hazen Discusses Deadline Possibilities

    Orioles Sign Jose Barrero To Minor League Deal

    Zach Pop Elects Free Agency

    MLB Announces 2025 All-Star Starting Hitters

    Diamondbacks Designate Kyle Nelson For Assignment

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version