Tigers Reunion with Justin Verlander is Perfect Cap to Tremendous Offseason
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The Detroit Tigers have just made a move that may go down as one of the most popular in the history of the fanbase in terms of initial reaction by those who will be filling the seats.
After receiving a ton of flak a year ago for not bringing back Justin Verlander -- and giving the same contract the team legend was paid to Alex Cobb instead -- Detroit has righted the wrong and signed him to a one-year deal back where it all started.
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Verlander will earn $13 million -- much of it being deferred -- from the Tigers this year to potentially play the final season of his decorated career back in the Motor City and allow fans the chance to cheer on the legend one final time.
Bringing back the future Hall of Famer feels like more than just a nostalgic move though; it feels like the perfect final splash to an offseason which all of the sudden has turned into perhaps the most exciting in recent Detroit memory.
Tigers Fans Perspective on Offseason Has Shifted Immensely
While some fans may still be upset about the team declining to pursue Alex Bregman or even other top free agents like Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, Detroit has doubled down on what makes them great both now and in the future.
Third base has been a hole, but instead of blocking it for the next half decade with an aging player, the Tigers leave things open there for one of their prospects to seize, and instead build a starting rotation which has the highest ceiling in baseball.
Signing Framber Valdez to the largest contract of the Scott Harris era, the team already had an elite 1-2 punch at the top of the staff. Now, with Verlander in the fold behind them holding things down in the middle, Detroit has a chance to do something truly special.
Instead of relying on guys like Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson and Casey Mize at the top, this trio fills out the bottom of the rotation and gives the team the deepest unit they have had in a very long time.
Could Verlander Deal Push Tigers Over Top Into Contention?
For much of the first half of the year in 2025, Verlander looked the part of a 42-year-old and that didn't have much left to offer a big league rotation. Down the stretch for the San Francisco Giants though, he was sensational.
Over his final 14 starts, the legend had a 2.99 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 75.1 innings, showing he can still get it done at the highest level. Nobody is expecting him to return to Detroit and become an All-Star again in his 21st MLB season at the age of 43, but the Tigers don't need him to.
If Verlander could provide Detroit with 20-plus decent starts, it takes so much pressure off the rest of the staff both in the regular season and during October, and it could just be that final push the Tigers need to get over the hump and make a very deep playoff run.
Regardless of what the outcome is, Verlander's return to Detroit is incredibly exciting and something every fan is going to be ecstatic about.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.