Latest Justin Verlander Contract Rumors amid MLB Free Agency After Impressing Teams

Teams seeking rotation depth going into the 2026 MLB season could be keeping an eye on Justin Verlander after his strong finish last year.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, clubs took "some notice" of what Verlander accomplished with the San Francisco Giants following a rough start to 2025 that could make him an under-the-radar option in free agency.

The Giants signed Verlander to a one-year, $15 million contract in January 2025. It looked for awhile like the future Hall of Famer had reached the end of his career as an effective pitcher.

After allowing four runs on nine hits in 2.2 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 18, Verlander's ERA was up to 4.99 with 92 hits allowed and 67 strikeouts in 79.1 innings. He also missed one month due to a pectoral injury.

Over his final 13 starts, Verlander had a 2.60 ERA with 63 hits allowed and 70 strikeouts in 72.2 innings. He was eighth among all NL pitchers with 1.6 WAR during that span. Paul Skenes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cristopher Sánchez and Nick Pivetta were the only NL starters with a better ERA than Verlander after July 18.

Verlander has openly expressed a desire to get to 300 career wins, but his nine total victories over the past two seasons have made it difficult to envision him getting there.

The nine-time All-Star will turn 43 on Feb. 20 and currently sits at 266 victories. He still has the ability to be an effective starter on a short-term deal for a playoff contender that needs depth.