Justin Verlander’s 20th big league season hasn’t been one of his standout years, as he now has a 4.53 ERA over 99 1/3 innings following today’s tough outing (five earned runs on 11 hits and a walk over five innings) against the last-place Nationals. Between these numbers and the 5.48 ERA Verlander posted over 90 1/3 frames during his injury-marred 2024 season, it is easy to speculate that time has finally caught up to the future Hall-of-Famer.
However, Verlander wants to keep going, telling the San Francisco Standard’s John Shea that he wants to return in 2026. This isn’t exactly new news since Verlander has previously indicated that he would like to pitch into his mid-40s, and he turns 43 in February. However, he did attach some injury-related caveats to his plans, which makes sense given the health concerns Verlander has dealt with in recent years.
“At this point in my career, if something goes really wrong, I’m not going to rehab a surgery or anything,” Verlander said. “I always understand that it could be it, but I think physically, I’ve shown some good health this season. As I’ve been on the mound, things have started to get better and better. To me, that’s a good sign with all the work I put in after my nerve injury last year, which notoriously takes a long time. The ball’s rolling in the right direction, and I would like to continue pitching. You never know. It’s a fickle game too, but I think the stuff is still there.”
The Giants signed Verlander to a one-year, $15MM free agent deal last winter, as San Francisco chose to invest in Verlander’s history rather than his more immediate struggles in 2024. The right-hander had a 4.33 ERA over his first 52 innings before a pectoral strain cost him about a month of playing time from mid-May to mid-June. Verlander’s overall production has been about the same since returning from the 15-day IL, though it seemed like he was turning a corner by posting a 2.66 ERA in the 23 2/3 innings prior to today’s clunker against Washington.
While a lost month isn’t insignificant, it is understandable that Verlander is a lot more confident about his health now than he was last year, when he was limited by both early-season shoulder problems and then his nerve injury in his neck. Verlander admitted last September that he probably tried to return too quickly from his neck problem, and his lack of results led the Astros to leave him off their playoff roster. Comparatively speaking, a pec strain is a much less serious type of injury, and if Verlander can get through the remainder of the 2025 campaign in good shape, it will line him up well to explore a return for next year.
Another one-year contract seems inevitable given Verlander’s age, and what could be two years of unimpressive numbers if he can’t get things turned around during the rest of the Giants’ schedule. Beyond just the bottom-line ERA, Verlander’s Statcast numbers have a troubling amount of blue shade, with below-average strikeout and walk rates. The latter statistic is notable since Verlander hadn’t posted a below-average walk rate since 2017 — he had a very impressive 5.3 BB% during the 2018-24 seasons.
As much as front offices are more concerned with future performance rather than past results, Verlander’s track record is hard to ignore. He was still posting elite numbers as recently as 2022, when he won his third career Cy Young Award to help lead the Astros to a World Series title (for the second ring of Verlander’s career). The righty followed that year up with a less-elite but still impressive 2023 season that saw Verlander deliver a 3.22 ERA across 162 1/3 innings with the Mets and Astros, though his strikeout rate dropped off dramatically this year and has yet to recover.
Chances are another team will take a shot at signing Verlander to see if he can recapture a bit of his old magic in his age-43 season. Playing for a contender will surely be at the top of Verlander’s priority list, so a return to San Francisco could hinge on whether or not the former ace thinks the Giants are ready to turn the corner and make a playoff push in 2026. The Giants were reportedly open to trading Verlander before the deadline, as part of the team’s desire to move some short-term veteran contracts.
There is no doubt Verlander will be heading to Cooperstown when he eventually hangs up the cleats, but sticking around for another season will push him even further up several all-time leaderboards. In recording six strikeouts against the Nationals today, Verlander now has 3503 career Ks, making him the tenth pitcher in MLB history to top the 3500-strikeout threshold.
I could see Verlander replacing Giolito as next year’s project for the Red Sox. He would certainly help sell tickets.
Giolito has a team option for next season, and if he keeps pitching the way he has over the past couple of months, the Sox are definitely going to pick it up.
Hban – The team option is only if he pitches less than 140 innings this year.
As of right now he’s on pace to surpass 140 innings.
Your Sox wouldn’t be the first team ever to manipulate some innings down the stretch here… nor the last, FPG.
Gwynn – They already tried!
They told Giolito he’s getting a few extra days off instead of taking his turn last Sunday. He refused, said he didn’t want to be moved back. So they changed him back to his normal start last Sunday. Funny how some players can say “no” to the Red Sox, and Sox fans don’t complain about THEM “not being a team player” ;O)
It will be interesting down the stretch, he needs 40 innings and has 8 starts remaining. I think the Red Sox know better than to alienate him by cheating him out of free agency.
A similar situation occurred years ago with a guy named Steve Avery, but his clause was based on starts not innings. The Red Sox did the right thing, made sure he got to be a free agent.
BTW – It was a fun series this weekend! I was shocked how bad Reynolds is, but the rest of the SD pen came as advertised.
How do you remember all these details!
I think they rushed Reynolds back into the fold as he didn’t have his form yet in the minors – they needed help though and the farm is now thin.
Giolito got paid a fortune to rehab a season. He’s selfish enough to discount that reality.
Brew – I was heavily involved 1990’s thru 2010’s and though not as much now I still spend lots of time seeking information. LOL!
Brew, I’m liking our new C a lot. I know you and I agree it seemed like a high pay but we have this guy for 5 years. If Ethan pans out as projected, we can flip this guy in 2 years for as good as we gave up for him.
Verlander just needs a couple more starts to pass Walter Johnson for 9th place all-time for career strikeouts.
And the Giants will suffer because of them. JV is a #5 or #6 now. His missed pitches are so off the plate that batters don’t have to swing. That’s why he consistently hits 100 pitches by the 5th inning AND when he’s around the plate he’s getting hit game after game.
If he wants to continue pitching and be effective he needs to move to the bullpen. His stuff would play up in a limited role.
Good idea, but the main goal he has is getting to 300 wins. I guess you could use an opener and put Ver in for 3-4 innings afterwards. 🤷♂️
He’s 1-9 this year. It’s time to move on to the next thing.
P u
“He’s 1-9 this year. It’s time to move on to the next thing.”
Mitchell Parker is 7-12. You think he’s been better than Verlander?
How about 7-6 Bailey Falter, Jack Leiter or Walker Buehler?
Maybe you think 7-8 Paul Skenes has been bad?
He’s been better than about 1/3 of the players who’ve pitched as much as he has. Not great. But still MLB caliber.
@JuanUribe Yeah, but he’s 37 wins away from 300. The best case scenario is that he would get lucky and somehow ends up with 15 wins in each of the next 2 seasons while still having a poor ERA, like he did in 2014.
I wondered if some of the W-L was due to Verlander being unable to qualify for a win in most of his starts, but he’s thrown 5+ innings in 14 of his 19 starts.
He’s also generally pitched well enough to keep his team in the game: 2 runs or fewer in 11 of 19, and 3 runs or fewer in 15 of 19.
You’re exactly right – *of course* mid 40s Verlander isn’t vintage Verlander, but the idea that he’s not an MLB caliber 4th or 5th starter right now is just plain wrong.
He’s 1-9 with a 4.53 ERA, -.0.3 WAR, and a 1.500 WHIP.
Do Old Timers Games count?
Never bet against JV. Just don’t pay him like he’s a sure thing.
I doubt JV would even consider 5+ inning starts to be a measuring stick. Even if he did, that would be a disappointing result by his standards. He failed to pitch 5 innings in over 25% of his starts.
Time for someone to tell JV that pitcher wins is an outmoded statistic.
ML if you pay him what His performance is worth. I would not pay him more than 5 miiion(2 Millon for goodwill) the way He is preforming!
I would at this age!
JuanUribeJazzHands —
You’ve obviously not seen JV pitch this year, because as a Giant fan I’ve watched every outing, and he has sucked in all but two.
He is a #5 or #6 starter now and his pitching is substandard despite going 5 innings (which is mostly because the Giants don’t have anyone else to throw out there).
Pete: Exactly. I think a lot of posters don’t actually watch him pitch too often unlike some of us who watch every Giants game. He just hasn’t looked good except for a couple games. He’s laboring hard just to get through 5 innings. His command hasn’t been good at all. And he puts the Giants in a hole early in games. I will say his curveball is pretty good at times. He’s walking too many on top of getting hit hard when he throws strikes. It’s hard when he walks 5 and gives up 11 hits in 5 innings. 16 base runners in 5 innings isn’t the right recipe to get wins.
mab
“I think a lot of posters don’t actually watch him pitch too often unlike some of us who watch every Giants game”
I just don’t think the average fan adds much insight because of it.
Does anyone honestly think he could get 14-15 wins in each of the next 2 seasons? He’s only got 10 decisions all of this year. So, if he gets 15 decisions this year he’d have to get at least as many for 2 more seasons and win most or all of them. And that unlikely scenario doesn’t leave any wiggle room for likely IL stints. Based on that & what I’ve watched this year makes 300 wins seem like a dream.
mab
“Does anyone honestly think he could get 14-15 wins in each of the next 2 seasons? ”
Yes
Because I understand the difference between “could” and “will”
I think he could. It’s possible
I don’t think he will. It’s extremely unlikely.
TGO
“no he can’t.”
Inorrect
That’s how probabilities and possibilities work.
“Does that mean I have a shot at it? According to you yes”
Correct
That’s how probabilities and possibilities work.
“Why is next year better than this year? This isn’t wine we don’t get better with age”
Because the number of wins a pitcher is credit with has nothing to do with their age. And it’s only partly to do with how well they pitch.
It’s extremely unlikely. It’s not impossible.
He isn’t getting 300. He’d have to pitch until he was 45 or 46 at this rate.
Actually at this rate he’d be 66 to get to 300 wins.
He still needs 37 wins.He’s not getting to 300.
300 wins was a goal, but it’s no longer realistic. He should accept whatever role can help his team.
Verlander has a better chance picking up wins by pitching the 5-6th innings. Problem is that he’s not conditioned to pitch back to back days.
He won’t get to 300 but he can retire and bang Kate Upton in his new down time whenever he wants.
No starter is conditioned to pitch back to back days, yet Starters convert to relievers all the time. In fact, most top relievers were starters at some point in their professional career.
If I were married to Kate Upton, I’d would not be terribly worried about 300 wins. Just sayin’
He’s not getting 300 wins.
Some awesome takes in this thread. Verlander read them and has a 1 ERA since then.
And still only has 3 wins while pushing a 4 ERA. on the season.
I think he would retire before being forced to pitch out of the pen.
I just wouldn’t want him pitching on the Yankees. It would be like throwing up in my mouth. Boston or Houston would be perfect for him.
Ahh…pulling the John Smoltz move.
I believe he still has one more good year in him to do something special, he still can throw 98 as an old man
If there’s any place to go it’s back to Detroit but he would probably rather see if the Astros would let him return
People write Verlander off at their peril. He is a total professional in the way he goes about his work, and class is permanent.
Didn’t the Astros write him off? He’s got a negative WAR the last two seasons. At 43 next season, it’s pretty easy to see he’s in the decline and bounce around years like Steve Carlton and to a lesser extent, Tom Seaver did., which doesn’t exactly add to the legacy.
Nah, Harris would rather resign Cobb for another year.
As long as you want to continue pitching as a Giant, Dodger, D-back or Rockie… then I’m 100% behind your decision JV!
I strongly suggest the Padres sign him to a long term deal that guarantees he pitches for them until he gets 300 wins.
🙂
Pass! We want to see the second Showcase Showdown!!
He’s made a ton of money… imo $$$ how bad does he want to get to 300?? 38-42 a year… pass
Super model wives are expensive. Why wouldn’t he keep pitching for 8 figure salaries?
I’d go out on a short limb and say even if had no money his grandchildren’s grandchildren could survive off of her money alone
He said he would like to continue pitching he never specified pitching well
He meant pitching Hims Telehealth products and services.
There are a lot of things that I’d like to do that aren’t going to happen, too.
Howdy Doody!🤣
I’d take JV over Alex Cobb
Definitely would have been the better move!
Or Charlie Morton….
Morton is ending strong
So is JV…
He should definitely pitch next year. In a softball league.
He’s a great fit for the A’s or Rockies next year.
Guys got Kate Upton at home and is awful when he pitches but he just won’t hang it up lol
Gotta escape the ol’ hag for half the year, I can feel where he’s coming from.
Why doesn’t he try pitching in 2025 first… ?
Let’s see you do it first.
If someone is willing to pay me to pitch, I’m in.
He wants to sign with Baltimore to collect his final Orange Team Infinity Stone.
I feel like he has had a good season. The Giants bullpen has blown at least three or four of his games, games where he had a win on the line. It doesn’t change his era or the fact that he has had some clunkers but I’ve followed his season and he has pitched better than his ERA.
It’s almost like he has been cursed. The curse of the 300 wins. But maybe it’s just 300 wins letting him know that it’s attainable if you can stay healthy and committ to the time it will take to achieve the goal. It could take three or four more seasons.
Where he “winds up” next season is an interesting story to follow. Do you jump ship again or do you stick with the Giants?
You are a good fan, God Bless you! Just a tweet too optimistic!
Take today’s for instance. Gore has had a few terrible starts over his last five games in which he has given up six earned or more. Verlander has had three in his last five that he has given up one earned or less. The Nationals are a bad team, no bullpen. Giants are at home.
So you go into the game thinking that this is a good shot at getting a win today. Gore aces his start and Verlander gets tanked.
It’s been the story all year.
3 or 4 games would give him a whopping 4 or 5 on the year. He’s 37 away from 300. It’s not happening
I’m with you on the curse.
He pitches good, they don’t score or the pen coughs it up. His stuff is still there but unfortunately SFG is just not working out to be his team. I hope he continues, but it will have to be elsewhere.
He hasn’t pitched “good” but for 3 games of the 20 starts.
bwm
“he has pitched better than his ERA.”
His xFIP 4.74, SIERRA 4.56 and xERA 4.69 all disagree.
I wasnt looking at his FIP or his Siera, mostly his sequences, he nailed Abrahms today in the first on four pitches. All off speed, it was a good at bat. Struck out the side.
He hung two sliders in the second, four earned. Something with his focus is off, something with his concentration maybe. Hasn’t been consistent.
Lost a tick on his heater, still has a good fastball. Has to pitch more, cant blow everyone away like he used to but he could put it together yet. Retool the arsenal, give it a go in ’26.
Giants won’t re-sign him, not after watching him this season. Great player once, not anymore.
I highly doubt the Giants bring him back next year. They probably wish they could let him go the rest of this year. He would have to pitch lights out the rest of this year to even think about bringing him back in 2026. Don’t see it happening.
He wants to pitch next year? He hasn’t pitched this year.
Thank you.
He’s on track to pull a Greinke (2-15 last year, his last).
YES! YES!
YES!
Jose DeLeon and Anthony Young are tracking this developing mlb story.
PLEASE QUIT (retire). I am 70 years old and want to remember you fondly prior to your HOF induction!
USF
Definitely something that be should consider /s
He’s arguably the Giants 3rd best starter. Roup has slightly better stats but not the veteran toughness. Beyond Webb, Ray and those two the Giants are a bit lost. The league will catch up to Whisenhunt – excellent Change but a weak fastball; last outing allowed 3hr.
Good info. If true good luck in your super tuff division!
Roupp not only better than Verlander, he has a bright future as a pitcher for the Giants. Verlander’s bright future is retiring, being Kate Upton’s trophy husband, great dad and the HOF. What’s not to like about that. Bow out now Justin. Don’t taint your legacy as one of the best pitchers ever.
tonyinsingapore —
You are out of your mind., Roupp is soo much better than JV that it’s inconceivable you would say that. Are you watching his games like the rest of us?
He should definitely pitch next year. A tent, in Yellowstone!
Justin is another Aaron Rodgers….squeeze every drop as possible selfishly.
Hey, as long as you *can* and have the drive annndddd somebody will employ you… why not?
When the fools give you gold, Go for it!
Verlander has shown to be attentive to baseball history, to try and spin it as tho hes motivated selfishly out of greed is just flat out wrong.
He has been slightly below replacement level and better than numerous backs of rotation starting pitchers across MLB. He also even while not being a dominant pitcher is a pitcher that fans would want to see, especially over a typical back of rotation nomad journeyman. Ultimately players such as Verlander are what drives pro sports.
sure its selfish but its honest. Whats dishonest is the way, its always bending and turning. Buts its the only way. So you have faith in it. If you have the faith and you want the goal, you get there.
Have a hard time with “selfish” being applied to guy that offers his services for 30 teams to decide if they want to offer a contract.
I don’t want my time to take a chance on him unless it’s 1 mil + incentives, but if a team wants him then more power to both sides to give it a shot.
Kate can find something to do to stay occupied while he is on the road – or go with him.
There is a selfish motivation in attaining a storied record but selfishness can be a good thing.
“How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.” -Adam Smith
Nah, Verlander isn’t a diva
Should have gone out on top Justin
Hes going to, as far atop the All Time K list as he can get.
Kate! Is that you?
He should definitely pitch next year. The contents of his locker, into McCovey Cove!
As I read down the page your smartarsed comments get more and more pathetic.
Correct. This version of Verlander is more suited to a trash can joke.
I think they’re funny and spot on.
Embarrassing himself. Faded stars refuse to face reality. Dude, you’re done – cooked, fried, baked.
Charcoal broiled?
Feeling sincere sorrow for whatever has happened to make so many baseball fans so miserable that their reaction to one of the best pitchers of their era wanting to continue pitching is derision.
x2. Hopefully, he comes back for one final season with the Tigers – their fanbase deserves to say goodbye to the pro.
They’re eating crow now.
The guy has lost a bit for sure, but his ERA is still only 4,29. That is probably in the top 50% of all starting pitchers in the league. This is not Jamie Moyer hanging on as best he can in his 40s. Verlander is still a capable pitcher, but he needs to be on a team that can score at least a little bit.
Headline should read “Justin Verlander ‘Would like to win 300 games although he has absolutely no chance of doing so”.
He still needs 37 wins to reach 300. He would have to pitch another 3-4 seasons at a good level and that’s assuming he stays healthy.
Could need another 5-6 seasons.
I just don’t see it happening.
I’d stay home with prime Kate Upton every single day and forget about baseball entirely, but to each his own, I guess.
No one wanted him at the trade deadline. Time to hang it up grandpa. The nursing home is calling… or is it, your calling is nursing at home. If you get my drift.
hiflew, who doesn’t like to be fact checked, apparently, said this
“his ERA is still only 4,29. That is probably in the top 50% of all starting pitchers in the league. ”
Verlander has 94 innings
There are 107 SP with 90 or more innings pitched
Verlander’s ERA is tied for not very nice 68th. So, not in the top 50%
Further, his 106 ERA+, is an also not nice 70th among that group. Also not in the top 50%
Your last argument appears to be incorrect on the face of it. ERA+ is a standardized method of measurement with 100 being the mean. So by definition, half are above 100, and half below. By the stat’s definition, Verlander is in the top 50%,
BS_LA
You’re right
And wrong
I meant ERA- which. Means above 100 is worse
But it doesn’t mean more or less than half the sample, it just means above or below the average. Those aren’t the same thing.
Um, what? No stat I’ve ever seen is called ERA-. If you’re pulling my leg you’ll have to pull harder.
Anyway, I can settle this. I checked Verlander’s ERA+ for this season: it’s 90. So by that measure he is indeed below average.
BS_LA
Here’s an article from about a decade and a half ago (I’m pretty sure that they changed ERA+ so that it’s what everyone thought it was).
share.google/5cHHFYaGess5B9HRu
There are 30 teams in MLB, thats 150 rotation spots. To be in top 50% he just needs to be under 75. You are arbitrarily adding players with his same number of innings pitched to shape the outcome you desire.
Tigers
“There are 30 teams in MLB, thats 150 rotation spots. To be in top 50% he just needs to be under 75. You are arbitrarily adding players with his same number of innings pitched to shape the outcome you desire.”
🤦♂️
Verlander is a starting pitcher, not a “rotation slot”
hf said “starting pitchers” not “rotation slots”
Verlander has a below average ERA and more than half of the pitchers who have picked as much as him have a below average ERA.
But, ok. You tell me where you think that be ranks. And show your work.
150 pitchers made up the 5 man rotations on Opening Day. Yes Verlander is a starting pitcher compromising one of those 150 spots. If he ranks below 75 thats top half.
Arbitrarily using pitchers who have pitched x amount negates all those who have washed out or were sent down while Verlander has endured.
Tigers
“You tell me where you think that be ranks. And show your work”
Tigers
Not using any innings filters, Verlander us tied for 97th in fWAR for starting pitchers in 2025 (does not include his last outing).
fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&lg…
If you want to insist on this weird 150 pitcher thing (and accuse me of “shap[ing] the data), he’s not in the top 75.
Again, awaiting your ranking and methodology.
Verlander is enduring only because the Giants are being very respectful of his career. Anyone else would have been taken out of the rotation by now. Roupp’s “injury” left a spot open, otherwise the Giants would have been facing a tough decision. He’s probably got a better chance at wins as a bullpen arm anyway.
Be interesting to see if the Giants put him on waivers this month and if a contending team claims him.
Take him over Chris Paddack and maybe Charlie Morton…
That Cobb signing was criminally stupid
Each of Paddack and Morton have had 2 starts, one of which was excellent and the other bad. Maybe allow a little more time to judge.
As to the Cobb signing, it’s not only that Harris signed him, but the amount he paid him. $3-5MM base with incentives on starts, and it would have been an understandable risk. But $15MM before the market for back end starters had even been set was “criminally stupid.”
I have not been a fan of the Cobb signing since day one. But in all fairness hes been a low end middle of rotation arm. There is no way he was signing for $3-5M. Id say 10-12M would ve been more realistic. But Im assuming the higher AAV on a one year was the selling point.
Verlander should complete the full circle of his career and sign with the Detroit Tigers.
Giants contacted Detroit FO, which said “no thank you”.
Tigers might actually score some runs for him, unlike the Giants.
He’s giving up 4 1/2 runs a game. If a team has to score 5 runs every time you start for a chance to win. You aren’t a good pitcher.
DRC
“He’s giving up 4 1/2 runs a game.”
No. He’s not.
He’s “allowed” 50 earned runs in 20 games. 2.5 (earned) runs per game.
Games are described as 9 innings. He has given up 2.5 per START. None have been 9 innings and over 25% have been less than 5 innings..
Stymee
“He has given up 2.5 per START.”
How many games has he pitched?
How many games did Mariano Rivera pitch?
They use innings pitched to determine earned runs. A lot of his starts have buried the Giants in the first couple innings. They really need to start looking at giving his spot to one of their young pitchers to get some experience.
Perhaps, but JV is out of he game by inning 5 or 6 because he’s already thrown 100 or more pitches. AND been hit hard.
In 11 of his 20 starts the Giants have scored 2 or fewer runs per start (in 6 of them he got 1 or 0 runs of support). He’s got 0 wins in those 11 starts. In only 4 of his starts this year has he received 5 or more runs of support.
Some of commenters here should retire from commenting on MLBTR.
I know, but I like it too much to quit.
Orioles will need some innings eaten. Cmon, Justin, collect all of the orange jerseys!
He needs 24 starts to enter the top 25 career leaders. He needs about 38 strikeouts to ensure he remains in the top 10 career leaders for a long time (Scherzer and Kershaw could pass him and he’d drop to 10th at that point).
If he wants 300 wins,
he should take up bowling.
If he wants to pitch and some team wants to pay him. I say go for it.
Nobody wants this guy.
What made him great over 20 years is that same attitude he has about playing. Loves the game. Loves to compete. Loves to find new challenges. Whether it works out for him or not, this is why he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer
He’s worth signing for 2026 as a 5th starter at no more than $10M.
TOO MUCH!
A decade is not a contraction, and it gets no apostrophe unless it is used as possessive, so you should no more write “play into his 40’s” than you would “played into his fortie’s.”
That’s what you read?!?!
Among the many words, yes. Is this your only question?
He’s been fine lately, until ash day anyway. Guess is the Giants will lock him up at a lower price. They like the stability he brings; doesn’t get dejected and lose confidence when the going gets tough (looking at you Birdsong), etc.
tonyinsingapore—
My god, man, you are not paying attention and the Giants aren’t paying him again, despite his good attitude.
Translated: I’d like to keep stealing money from some stupid general manager.
Over here in America, we have a thing called “mutual contracts”, sorry it’s a foreign thing for you wherever you came from
Even with his legendary veteran status etc. I can’t see him getting more than $10M for 2026, but I suppose $10M is $10M when you see the end of the line coming up and want to squeeze everything out of it-it’s still an additional 2.5% career earnings, so why not?
But also…
…If he wants to get to 300 wins, he’s gonna have to play 3-4 more seasons and he’s gonna have to play well above .500 win percentage with 25+ starts a season… and I don’t think he can do that at this point.
I love it! If it were me, you’d have to drag my rotting carcass off the diamond before I’d quit.
You are a long time retired.
Keep going Justin! If a team is happy to throw you a 1/5 mil contract; go for it.
He has a better shot of getting wins out of the pen. 1 or 2 innings at the right time maybe 3x per week rather than trying to get to 5 each time? Plus you’d hope his stuff is sharper in short stints.
I wanted to keep playing in 1996 too, but all the teams had other ideas!
Maybe the tigers will give him a flyer and sign him next year so his career will come full circle. He had his best years in Detroit
My Tigers will take him back….. As an assistant pitching coach
Bad luck for him he lost almost 2 years due to an injury and another 15-18 starts in 2020. He’s been for a pitcher in the 2000s very healthy and always ready for 31-33 starts. Sometimes more.
I was rooting for him and Max and Kershaw to get to 300 and it looked like they could before 2020. The last of the breed of starters who could go 200-220 innings almost every year. You’ve got Brandon Webb and Wheeler now. The Florida starter looked like the outlier of all starters with CG and innings. And he looked like he could handle the workload without injury.
none of them before 2020, I chalk that up to a typo. Brandon Webb is an off reference, great pitcher though.
Wheeler seems to have been relinqueshed in his Cy Young bid by the young Skenes. I was rooting for Wheeler but applause to Skenes, epic season.
Yeah right now I’d give the CY Youngs to Skenes and Crochet
Skubal.
At his current clip, he’d only need to pitch 37 more years to get to his magic 300.
Given his nerve issues I don’t think he should be judged on his performance this year. At his age you recover slower so I’m thinking 2025 was just about feeling right. I think next year would tell us if he’s lost it or not. He has good enough results to be a #4 or #5 somewhere, and he’d be a good veteran to have to steer a young staff. He’s still worth a contract similar to what he currently has give or take a couple million.
@King Bum – I assume your talking about JV, a strange year, I wonder how much it had to do with the money, could he have played with the Astros for less money? Its all been a wreck since he signed the Mets deal. Did he take the money and trounce the record? I dont know, it’s all an illusion. I think he can get the damn record. Find loyalty but not necessarily with the Giants, Ryan Walker has F’ed you all season. Anyhow, Id go to the A’s. They hit a ton. Get the F away from Robby Ray. Have to play in Sac, your only 43, like your FN old, cant sit in the sun for two years, pssy.
And I’d like a wife with thin ankles
If your wife has a high sodium diet that can cause water retention in ankles and legs area. Maybe have her wear compression socks
it’s actually a line from The Wire, but good lookin out.
And I’d like to come home to Kate Upton after work. One of those things has zero chance of happening while this other’s chances dwindle by the start…
I would like to date his wife Kate Upton on the side. I don’t think either of us is going to get what we would like to have.
I don’t think you’re going to get a date, but I’m certain he’ll get offers to pitch in the bigs next year.
I wish the Mets signed Verlander instead of Montas.
He can still touch 95 mph, I wonder if he’d consider a reliever role. Count extend his career
So long as 95 doesn’t file a complaint.
I don’t think he would.
CORRECTION – Kate is no longer bringing in massive melons of money and they can use as much as they can get while they can still get it.