Giants' Justin Verlander Wants to Continue Pitching During 2026 MLB Season at Age 43

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who turns 43 years old on Feb. 20, wants to pitch again next season, which would be his 21st Major League Baseball campaign.

"I would hope somebody would offer me a contract now," Verlander said Wednesday evening, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

On July 18, Verlander had an 0-8 record with a 4.99 ERA. Since then, Verlander is 3-2 with a 2.17 ERA, striking out 60 batters over 62.1 innings. He's been exceptional over his last 11 starts, save for two rough outings where he gave up 11 earned runs over 9.1 innings. If you throw those two games out, Verlander's had a 0.68 ERA otherwise since July 23, per Nightengale.

Also, Verlander's win-loss record doesn't do him any justice. Per Nightengale, Verlander has left seven games with a lead only to see the bullpen give it up each time. He's also allowed just one earned run over his last four starts (25.0 innings), including seven shutout innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday while allowing just three hits and two walks.

Ultimately, Verlander has rebounded well after a rough start, which he attributes to figuring something out during a bullpen session, per Nightengale.

"Every day you come to the field for four months, and it's like, what's the way out of this?" Verlander said. "How do I make the adjustment? What do I need to do? What's wrong? Because clearly something's wrong. I just have to try to find it. I had a new thought in the bullpen, I took that into the game, and the game results have been what you see.

"So, I'm glad I didn't give up."

The Giants are as well, as they're fighting for the third and final National League wild card spot. They enter Thursday evening's game at the Los Angeles Dodgers 2.5 games behind the 79-74 New York Mets, who are currently the last team in the playoff field.

As for Verlander, he'll have two more regular-season starts for San Francisco as it hopes to sneak in the postseason. And as far as next year goes, a great ending to this season certainly brings great hope that the nine-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young winner will be able to find a home for 2026.