Astros’ Justin Verlander ‘not ready to step away yet’ despite early playoff exit and impending free agency

Despite an injury-marred and ineffective 2024 season, 41-year-old future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander says he wants to continue pitching. 

After Verlander’s Houston Astros were eliminated from the postseason by Verlander’s former team, the Detroit Tigers, on Wednesday, the three-time Cy Young winner said to Candler Rome of The Athletic, “I want to continue to pitch, to compete. I’m not ready to step away yet.”

Verlander’s contract with the Astros included a $35 million option for 2025 that vested if he reached 140 innings. However, he fell well short of that, as spring shoulder issues followed by a neck injury later in the season limited the right-hander to just 17 starts and 90 1/3 innings. As such, he’ll be part of the 2024-25 free-agent class. 

In those 17 starts, Verlander pitched to 5.48 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 2.74. He also continued a recent pattern of shedding fastball velocity. That said, Verlander is an all-time great with a full repertoire, and the decline for such pitchers is typically not linear. Teams in contending mode with rotation needs may see the potential for a rebound season from him in 2025. 

Assuming he does pitch in 2025, Verlander will enter next season as the active leader in wins with 262. He also boasts a career WAR of 81.0, which, again, puts him firmly in Hall of Famer territory. To hear Verlander tell it, he’s not ready to stop adding to those already rare and impressive tallies.