San Francisco Giants Star Free Agent Signing Named 'Biggest Bust' Candidate

Will the newest San Francisco Giants addition be able to return to form in 2025?

Sep 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants suffered a major loss in free agency this winter when starting pitcher Blake Snell opted out of his contract for the 2025 season to hit the open market.

It was the right decision for him after he failed to secure the lucrative long-term deal he was seeking ahead of the 2024 campaign.

This time around, he struck gold, landing a five-year, $182 million deal.

As if it wasn’t bad enough already for the Giants to see their co-ace leave, he signed a deal with their bitter rivals, the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

San Fransisco attempted to fill the void by pursuing Corbin Burnes, but he spurned them for another division rival; the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Still on the lookout for some starting pitching help, the Giants came away with a high-profile name of their own; landing Justin Verlander on a one-year, $15 million deal.

Coming off the worst season of his career, there are some questions about what he can provide the team.

When taking a deeper dive into his numbers, there are some positives to pull away.

Before Verlander began suffering from a neck ailment, his production in 2024 was similar to what he was providing down the stretch in 2023. His pitch velocities were similar and his production was in line with each other.

Staying healthy will be the No. 1 factor for the future Hall of Famer to give the team positive production when he steps on the mound.

Turning 42 years old soon, staying healthy is certainly far from guaranteed. But, as shared by Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, that isn’t the only potential red flag the veteran has heading into this season.

He listed Verlander amongst his 10 biggest bust candidates amongst pitchers, with the main reason being his pitches are not as effective as they once were.

Opponents teed off on his curveball, which didn't pair as well with his fastball since the velocity on that pitch took a dip. Hitters recorded a .340 batting average and .560 slugging percentage when facing his curveball.

Some of that can certainly be attributed to the injury he dealt with, but natural wear-and-tear will lead to diminished stuff as well.

Verlander has done an excellent job of reinventing himself later in his career, but can he do it again with the Giants?

They are certainly hoping so since he was the only outside addition the team made to replace Snell.

That isn’t the veteran pitcher’s fault, but there will be some sizable expectations for him to perform at a high level to replace the two-time Cy Young Award candidate.

Looking through things in that lens, it is easy to see why he was named a potential bust.

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