Justin Verlander In Search Of Max Scherzer-Type Contract

Justin Verlander is 39 years old and coming off a Cy Young caliber season. Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said the free agent ace is looking for a contract similar to the one Max Scherzer signed with the New York Mets last offseason.

Justin Verlander is in search of a massive payday this winter.

Astros owner Jim Crane told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that the 39-year-old free agent is looking for a deal that compares to the record-breaking three-year, $130 million contract Max Scherzer signed with the Mets last offseason. Verlander recently declined a $25 million option to remain with the Astros.

“I know him well, so we’ve been pretty candid,” Crane said, adding that he hopes Texas’ lack of a state income tax gives Houston an advantage. “He’s looking at the comp, which I think there’s only one or two… J.V.’s probably got a few years left, and he wants to make the most of it. I think he’s going to test the market on that.”

Verlander is coming off a sensational 2022 campaign after Tommy John surgery cost him all but one game in 2020 and the entire 2021 season. He led the American League with 18 wins and a 1.75 ERA while helping the Astros to another American League West title and World Series championship.

The right-hander is expected to win his third Cy Young Award on Wednesday night.

Even before Crane’s comments, Scherzer’s deal felt like an expected comp for Verlander, a former Tigers teammate who turns 40 in February and has stated a desire to pitch well into his 40s.

Scherzer signed with the Mets ahead of his age-38 season last December. The righty battled some injuries in his first season in Queens, but he also recorded a 2.29 ERA over 23 starts and helped the Mets return to the playoffs.

The first year of the deal, which pays Scherzer an average annual salary of $43.3 million, worked out well for the Mets. But that doesn’t mean Houston will offer a similar pact to Verlander. The Houston Chronicle's Chandler Rome reported that Crane has privately questioned Scherzer’s contract.

If Verlander does not return to the Astros, he could find suitors in the high-spending Dodgers, Yankees and even the Mets.