In This Story
Highlights:
Justin Verlander, 42, says he’s not retiring. He plans to pitch again next season at age 43 — which would be his 21st MLB season.
Verlander threw 29 starts and 152 innings this past season and finished strong: a 2.17 ERA from late July forward, including a 2.08 ERA in September
Former MLB GM Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects him to sign a one-year deal worth around $12 million, naming the Detroit Tigers as one of the top fits “so he can retire as a Tiger.”
Justin Verlander has made one thing very clear. He isn’t done.
The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer said the “passion is still there,” and that he plans to pitch again next season, which would be his age-43 season and his 21st year in the big leagues. This is not a goodbye tour where he throws one inning, tips his cap and disappears.
Verlander still believes he can help a contender win games.
His late-season performance backs that up. Verlander’s year with San Francisco started rough. He went deep into the summer without a win, and the “is this it?” talk got loud. Then he adjusted and looked like himself again.
From late July on, Verlander posted a 2.17 ERA across 11 starts. In September, he finished with a 2.08 ERA over five outings, allowing two earned runs or fewer in four of those five. He ended the season with 29 starts, 152 innings, an ERA in the high 3s (3.75–3.85 depending on split) and more than 130 strikeouts.
That’s 150+ legitimate innings from a starter who can still dominate in stretches. That’s not ceremonial.
And here’s why the Detroit Tigers are sitting in the middle of this: Verlander is not expected to cost superstar money. In a recent projection, former MLB GM Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicted Verlander would sign a one-year deal worth around $12 million, and specifically named the Tigers as one of the top fits “so he can retire as a Tiger,” along with the Giants.
Detroit can handle that number without sweating.
It would also be an easy sell to fans.
Verlander spent 13 seasons with the Tigers, won Rookie of the Year and a Cy Young Award, made six All-Star teams, and put up a 3.49 ERA in 380 starts (more than 2,500 innings) in a Detroit uniform. He is, for an entire generation in Detroit, the pitcher.
So yes, Justin Verlander back to the Tigers is realistic. The money works. The performance still works. The brand definitely works.
The real question is exactly why would the Tigers do it?
Could Justin Verlander return to pair with Tarik Skubal?
This is the ideal version if you’re a Tigers fan.
In this scenario, Verlander returns as the wiser veteran ace to stand alongside Tarik Skubal and try to win the American League Central right away.
That’s the blueprint you see real contenders use. You go into 2026 with Skubal as the No. 1 and Verlander behind him, and suddenly everyone else in the rotation gets to slot down. It stabilizes the entire staff and puts an actual veteran voice in the room. Verlander leaned into that mentor role in San Francisco, talking about helping younger starters manage the grind.
And Skubal is absolutely good enough to justify that kind of push.
In 2024, Skubal led the American League in ERA (2.39), wins (18) and strikeouts (228), and he won the AL Cy Young Award unanimously — all 30 first-place votes.
In 2025, he somehow leveled up. Skubal posted a 2.21 ERA, struck out 241 hitters, recorded a 0.89 WHIP and led AL pitchers in bWAR (6.6) at age 28. He’s already being talked about as the favorite to win the Cy Young again.
He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball, in his prime, two years running.
Put Verlander behind that, even at 43, and the Tigers send the message to their fans and the rest of baseball that they are trying to win playoff games now.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal reacts after striking out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (not pictured) during the sixth inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Or would Justin Verlander be the consolation prize after a Tarik Skubal trade?
There’s a second version.
In this version, Verlander comes back to Detroit without Skubal — and that sends a very different message.
Skubal is one year from free agency. His agent is Scott Boras. Multiple outlets, including the New York Post, have reported that Detroit and Skubal’s camp opened extension talks and ended up miles apart. The reported gap is massive: more than $250 million, and in some tellings closer to $300 million, between what Boras wants for Skubal and what Tigers ownership is willing to commit.
If you’re that far apart on a 28-year-old lefty who just put up a 2.21 ERA, 241 strikeouts, a 0.89 WHIP and the top pitcher WAR in the league, you’re basically telling the rest of baseball: make us an offer.
That’s why Skubal’s name is already being floated in early offseason chatter around teams like the New York Yankees and New York Mets — both big-market clubs that have the financial stomach to pay “best pitcher in baseball” money on the other side of a trade.
If the Tigers move Skubal for prospects, then almost immediately announce Justin Verlander is “coming home” on a one-year deal, that’s not about trying to win in 2026.
That’s about managing the fallout.
It’s about giving fans a legend instead of giving them an ace.
And Tigers fans will see the difference in about five seconds.
Verlander is beloved. He gave Detroit 13 seasons of Cy Young/MVP-caliber baseball and a 3.49 ERA over 380 Tigers starts.
Still, Verlander at 43, even after that 2.08 ERA finish, is not Tarik Skubal at 28 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts.
One is a legend finishing his career.
One is maybe the best pitcher in baseball entering his prime
What this actually tells us about the Detroit Tigers
So yes, the Tigers absolutely can bring Justin Verlander back. The price is reasonable. The on-field value is real. The PR upside is enormous. All true.
But how they bring him back matters the most.
If Justin Verlander returns to pitch with Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers are saying, “We’re going for it right now.”
If Justin Verlander returns to pitch instead of Tarik Skubal, the Tigers are saying, “Please don’t riot.”
That difference — contender or consolation prize — is the line this winter.
About the author
Trending News Writer, Athlon Sports
Kristie is an award-winning sports journalist and one of Athlon Sports’ most prolific writers. She spent 16 seasons covering the Yankees and Mets for the New York Daily News, and has authored over 10,000 articles in her career. A native of Central New York, she now lives in Florida amidst the Grapefruit League teams.