02/10/26 01:07:00
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02/10 13:05 CST Justin Verlander returns to the Detroit Tigers on a $13
million, one-year contract
Justin Verlander returns to the Detroit Tigers on a $13 million, one-year
contract
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) --- Justin Verlander is going back to his first big league
team, agreeing to a $13 million, one-year contract with the Detroit Tigers on
Tuesday.
Verlander, who turns 43 on Feb. 20, is looking to rebound from a frustrating
year with San Francisco. The deal for the three-time AL Cy Young Award winner
includes $11 million in deferred payments starting in 2030.
Verlander's 266 victories are tied with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th on
baseball's career list, while his 3,553 career strikeouts are eighth and
closely trailing Don Sutton with 3,574.
Verlander said he needed a "relentless pursuit of finding something, anything
to make it click" in turning his struggles around last year with the Giants.
His 2.60 ERA from July 23 through the remainder of the season ranked fourth in
the National League with a minimum of 60 innings pitched.
Verlander returned June 18 after being sidelined for a month by a strained
right pectoral muscle. The right-hander wants to keep pitching after a
disappointing season in which he began 0-8 and was winless in his initial 16
outings before a win at Atlanta on July 23.
He went on to finish 4-11 with a 3.85 ERA and 137 strikeouts over 29 starts
spanning 152 innings. He has 266 wins, still far off from joining the 300-win
club but something he could approach with a strong, healthy 2026.
"First half, quite difficult. Happy I was able to find some mechanical fixes to
kind of get back in the right direction and pitch well in the second half,"
Verlander said following his final outing Sept. 27. "I think obviously you'd
always rather it go well, but it's nice to be able to turn it around,
especially after a few months it gets really draining and it's tiresome. You've
just got to come in every day and have a positive mindset and keep working
hard."
Verlander signed a $15 million, one-year contract with San Francisco last
January and had a forgettable home debut for the Giants. The Giants often
struggled to provide him with enough run support.
The second-half turnaround mattered to Verlander, who limited foes to a .228
average over his final 13 appearances. He allowed two or fewer earned runs in
10 of his last 13 starts.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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