Justin Verlander To Retire At End Of Season

Verlander was born in Manakin Sabot, Virginia in 1983 and played college ball just a few hours down the road at Old Dominion University. After three strong years for the Monarchs, he went into the 2004 draft as one of the top guys available. The Padres used the first pick on Matt Bush, then the Tigers used the second pick to get Verlander. In 2005, Verlander was mostly dominating in the minors, putting up a 1.29 earned run average in 118 2/3 innings. He also got to make a brief major league debut, starting two games.

He broke camp with the club in 2006 and made 30 starts, posting a 3.63 ERA in 186 innings. He was the easy choice for American League Rookie of the Year. He helped the Tigers go 95-67 and make the playoffs for the first time since 1987. They went through the Yankees in the ALDS and then the Athletics in the ALCS, though they were felled by the Cardinals in the World Series.

Another strong season followed in 2007, with Verlander posting a 3.66 ERA in 32 starts. A highlight of that season was Verlander throwing a no-hitter against the Brewers on June 12th. He earned his first All-Star selection that summer. He continued to be a strong presence in the Detroit rotation for the next few years, though the club didn’t make the playoffs from 2007 to 2010. Verlander and the Tigers inked a five-year, $80MM extension ahead of the 2010 season, keeping him signed in Detroit through 2014.

He reached an amazing new level in 2011. He made 34 starts that year and logged 251 innings with a league-leading 2.40 ERA. He struck out 250 batters along the way, leading the league in that category as well. He won 24 games, which was also tops in the league, giving him the pitching Triple Crown. Clayton Kershaw also won the Triple Crown in the National League, making it the first season with two Triple Crown winners since 1924. Verlander was the unanimous choice for A.L. Cy Young and also won MVP honors, a rare feat for a pitcher.

The Tigers returned to the playoffs that year but got knocked out by the Rangers in the ALCS. Verlander put up another excellent season in 2012, with a 2.64 ERA in 33 innings. The Tigers won the Central that year and eventually made it back to the World Series, though they were swept away by the Giants. A new contract was signed ahead of the 2013 season, this one a seven-year deal worth $180MM, which amounted to five years and $140MM in new money. Verlander was now signed with Detroit through 2019, on one of the biggest contracts for a pitcher in history at that time.

Verlander continued to post strong results year in and year out. The Tigers made the playoffs again in 2013 and 2014 but were knocked out before the World Series in both of those years. In subsequent seasons, Verlander continued putting up good numbers but the club’s competitive window started to close. In 2017, a season in which the Tigers would finish 64-98, they decided to kick off a rebuild. At that year’s waiver deadline in late August, they traded Justin Upton to the Angels and Verlander to the Astros. In return for Verlander, Detroit received prospects Franklin Pérez, Daz Cameron, and Jake Rogers.

Verlander finished out that season by making five starts with the Astros, posting a 1.06 ERA in those. He then posted a 2.21 ERA over six postseason appearances as the Astros went through the Red Sox, Yankees and Dodgers to win it all that year. Verlander won the ALCS MVP award along the way. He got his first ring, though that title would later become mired in controversy with the revelations of Houston’s sign-stealing scandal.

In 2018 and 2019, Verlander posted a 2.52 ERA and then a 2.58 ERA. In the 2019 campaign, Verlander won his second Cy Young award.  The Astros made the playoffs in both of those years but lost to the Red Sox in the 2018 ALCS and then the Nationals in the 2019 World Series.

In between those two campaigns, the Astros gave Verlander a two-year, $66MM extension for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Unfortunately, 2020 turned into a lost season for him. The COVID pandemic delayed the start of the season until July. Verlander made just one start before he got injured. He ultimately required Tommy John surgery in September of that year, which wiped out his 2021 as well.

He became a free agent for the first time after essentially missing two whole seasons. The Astros brought him back on a two-year, $50MM deal, with Verlander eligible to opt-out halfway through. He responded with one of his best seasons, posting a 1.75 ERA over 28 starts in 2022. He won his third Cy Young award. The Astros won 106 games that year and went on to win the World Series, giving the franchise and Verlander a second ring.

On the heels of that tremendous season, Verlander opted out of his deal and returned to free agency. He signed a massive two-year, $86.66MM deal with the Mets, a hair under Max Scherzer for the largest average annual value on a contract at that time. Verlander pitched well for the Mets in 2023 but the team performed poorly and he was dealt back to Houston at that year’s deadline. The Astros had another good season but were knocked out by the Rangers in the ALCS.

Verlander’s effectiveness waned in 2024, as he made multiple trips to the IL and posted a 5.48 ERA over 17 starts. He returned to free agency and signed a one-year, $15MM deal with the Giants. He bounced back a bit, with a 3.85 ERA in 29 starts, though with a fairly modest 20.7% strikeout rate.

Back in free agency ahead of 2026, he returned to the Tigers via a one-year, $13MM deal, though one with heavy deferrals. His triumphant return to Detroit still awaits, however. He made one road start before hitting the injured list with inflammation in his left hip. He was about to come off the injured list in June when he suffered a hamstring strain. He remains on the IL and the mounting injuries seemingly contributed to his decision to hang up his spikes.

Put it all together and you have one of the most slam-dunk Hall of Fame careers of all-time, and certainly of this era. Verlander has thrown 3,571 1/3 innings over 556 games with a 3.33 ERA. He has 266 wins to 159 losses. He made 359 quality starts and threw 26 complete games, including nine shutouts and three no-hitters. He has 3,554 strikeouts, eighth on the all-time list. He still has time to add to those totals and is just 20 strikeouts away from Don Sutton, so he could climb to seventh all-time.

Verlander was selected to the All-Star team ten times. He won two World Series rings, three Cy Youngs, a Rookie of the Year award, a Triple Crown and an MVP. He led the A.L. in wins four times, ERA twice and strikeouts five times. FanGraphs has credited him with 84.2 wins above replacement with Baseball Reference at 81.8 WAR. B-Ref pegs his career earnings over $427MM. We at MLB Trade Rumors tip our caps to Verlander on a superb career and wish him the best in whatever comes next.

Photos courtesy of David Rodriguez-Muno, Charles LeClaire, Joe Nicholson, Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images