Veteran starting pitcher Justin Verlander landed with the San Francisco Giants on a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason, departing the Houston Astros, the team he was with since he was traded from the Detroit Tigers in 2017. Verlander opened up on the process of leaving the Astros and his conversations with owner Jim Crane before signing with the Giants as he returned to Houston on Monday.
“I was talking with Jim a lot,” Justin Verlander said, via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. “There was interest. It just kind of got to the point where the Giants really came after me hard and Jim was like, ‘We’re not even in a place to make an offer right now.’ So, I appreciated the candidness. That was kind of that for me.”
Ultimately, the Astros decided to move on. It is not too surprising, given that Verlander was left out of the playoff rotation in 2024. However, it appears that they did have some level of interest in bringing him back for 2025. The timing just did not work out.
The Astros made several big decisions this offseason, with the trade of Kyle Tucker sticking out as the main one, but the departure of Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox was notable as well. Verlander’s departure was not as significant as the other two, but he was a staple of the organization, helping it win two World Series titles during his time.
Now, Verlander is hoping to contribute to a Giants team that does have talent. He joins a pitching staff that does have potential, and his home park should be more friendly to him. Although Verlander is not pitching in the Giants’ series against the Astros, it is still somewhat of a homecoming for him this week. The Giants look to take game two of the series after a 7-2 victory on Monday.
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