Could Astros Reunite With Justin Verlander Once Again?

A third reunion with Justin Verlander could be on the table for the Houston Astros this winter.

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One clear thing the Houston Astros have to address this offseason is their starting rotation.

This year, despite having Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown leading the unit, they finished with an ERA of 3.97 that had them tied for 13th across Major League Baseball. That's largely because of all the injuries that were suffered, with Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco going down with season-ending elbow injuries that required Tommy John surgery and Lance McCullers Jr. being off and on the injured list.

Cristian Javier returned and others stepped up, but it wasn't enough to propel the Astros forward. And now that Valdez is set to hit the open market where he's not expected to be retained, it's clear that more depth needs to be created in Houston.

General manager Dana Brown gave themselves another option early this offseason, signing Nate Pearson to a contract with the plan of converting him from his relief role into becoming a starter. But the Astros are going to need much more than that if they want to be comfortable.

Justin Verlander Reunion Could Be an Option

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Someone who could be an option for them is a familiar face in Justin Verlander. The future Hall of Famer departed last offseason and spent the year with the San Francisco Giants. Now a free agent again, he let it be known that he wants to pitch in 2026.

Eric Cole of Climbing Tal's Hill thinks a reunion could be on the table for the two sides this winter, although, he's not convinced that going back to that well for a third time would be the smartest thing for Houston.

"Justin Verlander's best days are behind him, and acquiring him for anything beyond a short, cheap deal is questionable at best. ... It may seem like a bad idea, but reuniting with Verlander shouldn't be completely off the table until he signs somewhere else," he wrote.

Why Signing Justin Verlander Could Work

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The Astros didn't bring Verlander back after the 2024 season because he didn't have a good year. Largely affected by injuries that reduced him to making just 17 starts, the righty finished with a 5.48 ERA and ERA+ of 74, which was 26 points below the league average mark of 100.

And considering Verlander entered this past campaign at the age of 42, it was easy to see why Houston was willing to let another team take a chance on the veteran even after everything he had accomplished with the franchise.

But things are different this winter. That's because Verlander had a bounce back season with the Giants, posting a 3.85 ERA across 29 starts where his ERA+ was back above the league average at a figure of 102. He also threw 152 innings, which is something the Astros would have welcomed on their end in 2025.

If Houston is interested in bringing him back, they'll have to hope the good run of health he experienced this year will continue. But at a value of $7.8 million like Spotrac is projecting for Verlander, it could be worth it for the Astros to find out.