Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers: You Gotta Lock That Down

I’m a huge fan of the television show Arrested Development .

An episode of the show features this kind of nerdy looking pastor married to a fairly attractive woman.  When told that the couple married very young, the show's main character, Michael, says, “Who can blame you, you gotta lock that down.” 

This nerdy looking guy had to act fast and “lock down” this young, attractive lady before she took off.  Somehow, this connects to the Detroit Tigers and their contract negotiations with Justin Verlander.

Word has it that the Tigers and Verlander are currently in contract talks about keeping Verlander in Detroit for at least the next five seasons.  The Tigers are too young and too old.  They have an unfortunate mix of unproven, young players and over-priced veterans. 

Right in the middle is Justin Verlander.  Verlander is a proven staff ace and one of the top starting pitchers in all of baseball.  He’s had one down year and three pretty outstanding seasons.

The Seattle Mariners recently signed their young ace, Felix Hernandez, to a five-year, $75 million deal.  A parallel deal is rumored to be what Verlander would need to re-sign.  Some reports say that Verlander is looking for a sixth year to make him sign on the dotted line.

The Tigers have a quality collection of young pitchers, headlined by Verlander and Rick Porcello.  With some young arms maturing in the minor leagues, the club is looking good for the future.  While they may struggle in the meantime, they need to lock down their best player.