At this point in his career, Justin Verlander isn’t the prize of this year’s MLB free agency cycle, but he’s still certainly one of the biggest names in the pool of available talent.
The three-time Cy Young winner and 2011 MVP just played out his one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants, and with plans to return to the diamond for his age-43 and 21st MLB season, he’ll be considering his options this winter.
It was a rollercoaster of a year for Verlander, and his overall stats weren’t the prettiest, but Verlander found his footing in the back half of the year — posting a 2.99 ERA and 1.301 WHIP across 75.1 innings in the second half — so he should generate some interest on the open market.
A reunion with the Giants is certainly on the table, but if another team in need of some depth within their starting staff makes a better offer, it wouldn’t be surprising if Verlander is on the move once again.
More MLB Content From TWSN
The Dream Free Agent Signing For Every MLB Team
Tom Ricketts Is Ruining the Chicago Cubs
The Los Angeles Dodgers Are The Greatest Dynasty Of The Last 10 Years
Justin Verlander Signs With Braves in MLB FA Prediction
The Atlanta Braves could be a team to look out for in regard to Verlander’s potential suitors. They’re expected to be aggressive this offseason and bump payroll in an effort to make another World Series run.
Outside of generally making some additions, bringing in some help behind Chris Sale and Spencer Strider is expected to be a priority.
With that in mind, TWSN’s Steve Bradshaw has predicted that the Braves will sign Verlander this offseason.
“All things considered, it’s not as if Verlander is going to come in, be the Braves‘ number one option, and have an All-Star year. However, these are the kind of small upgrades the Braves should be making if they want to get back on track and make a deep run in the postseason next year,” wrote Bradshaw.
Should The Braves Sign Justin Verlander?
With Sale and Strider leading the way, the Braves’ starting staff should be in a good spot next year. Considering Spencer Schwellenbach is also in the mix, and Reylando Lopez is set to make his return, the Braves could very well have a top-10 rotation next year.
Still, adding some depth could be wise. If the Braves are wary of Sale finally taking a step back, making a significant move in free agency or via trade could even be a good idea.
Either way, bringing in another starting arm seems to be the correct decision.
Verlander could provide the Braves with some solid outings and eat up some innings from the back half of the rotation. As we’ve previously discussed, he really hit his stride down the stretch, notably surrendering two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his final 13 starts.
That level of production should give the front office in Atlanta confidence that he can be a net positive within the team’s rotation despite being in the final stretch of his career.
While it’s not some splashy addition that’s going to dramatically improve the Braves’ outlook for next season, it’s one that makes sense and can help the team overall.
Justin Verlander Stats
It wasn’t a career year for Verlander in 2025, but that’s to be expected, considering it was his 20th season in the big leagues.
2025 Stats:
29 starts
4-11 record
3.85 ERA
1.362 WHIP
152.0 IP
137 K