{"id":571818,"date":"2026-02-14T08:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T08:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/571818\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T08:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T08:14:13","slug":"verlander-felt-like-hed-come-back-to-tigers-news-sports-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/571818\/","title":{"rendered":"Verlander felt like he\u2019d come back to Tigers | News, Sports, Jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Justin Verlander, the pitching for the San Francisco Giants, warms up before the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 17 in Phoenix. (AP file photo)<\/p>\n

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Justin Verlander\u2019s return to the Detroit Tigers is a testament to his own longevity and the team\u2019s increased relevance over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n

Verlander said Thursday he knew he might someday come back, but it\u2019s been a long road for both him and the franchise. Verlander agreed to a $13 million, one-year deal with Detroit earlier this week. He last pitched for the Tigers in 2017 before he was traded to Houston during that season.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that time, when I left, I thought that there was a chance that I could come back and potentially help the team in a full-circle thing when they\u2019re good again,\u201d said Verlander, who turns 43 next week. \u201cAs of a few years ago, it didn\u2019t seem like that. Especially a couple years ago when I had the neck injury and things were uncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verlander was part of two pennant-winning teams in more than a decade spent with the Tigers, and he was the AL MVP in 2011. When Detroit reached a point where it needed to rebuild, Verlander was traded and finally won two World Series titles with the Astros.<\/p>\n

The Tigers didn\u2019t make it back to the postseason until 2024, but they made it again last year behind a new ace, two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.<\/p>\n

Verlander said he was open to a return this offseason, although it didn\u2019t seem the feeling was entirely mutual at first. But now the Tigers have lost right-hander Reese Olson for the season following shoulder surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first it didn\u2019t seem like there was much room for me,\u201d Verlander said. \u201cUnfortunately, there were some things that happened recently where some innings that I think they were planning on aren\u2019t going to be filled. I think that opened the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

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AP MLB: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/MLB\"\"<\/p>\n

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EAST LANSING \u2014 Lauren Betts had 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists and No. 2 UCLA pushed its winning …<\/p>\n

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