Houston Astros Future Hall of Famer Has 'Multiple Teams Interested' in Signing Him

The former Houston Astros ace is healthy and teams are interested in seeing what he has left.

Sep 28, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Former Houston Astros starter Justin Verlander remains on the market without a new home.

Verlander, a future Hall of Famer, struggled a bit last season, mainly due to the injuries he dealt with. When the right-hander was on the mound in 2024, it was the worst showing of his career. He posted a 5.48 ERA and struck out just 74 hitters in 90 1/3 innings pitched.

Teams should be worried about that, and being 41 years old doesn't do him any good, but there's a scenario where signing Verlander could be a steal.

Even if he returns to his 2023 form, when he posted a 3.22 ERA and struck out 144 hitters in 162 1/3 innings, he'd be a valuable arm to add to a rotation.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the former Astros ace is healthy and has teams interested in him.

"I was told, with respect to Verlander, in great shape, and there's multiple teams interested in JV. "

.@jonmorosi shares some insight into Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw's outlook heading into 2025 on #MLBNHotStove. https://t.co/79kc3uKJuc pic.twitter.com/1lCwvkQDvg

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 4, 2025

A reunion with Houston seems very unlikely.

Unless the front office believes they need another arm to eat innings, there wouldn't be much reason to bring Verlander back.

In the beginning stages of free agency, Dana Brown made it seem like the Astros didn't have much interest in re-signing him. He told reporters that he was "sure" Verlander would have teams calling his agent, speculating more about his future rather than him returning.

“If [Verlander] continues to work and he's healthy, it's going to be interesting to see where he goes and how much he gets. But I'm sure there will be a bunch of teams calling the agent," Brown said, according to Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors.

After he was left off the postseason roster, Verlander might've not been too happy about that and wants to pursue opportunities elsewhere. He said he understood Houston's decision, but he's one of the best in baseball history, and leaving him off the roster wasn't a sign of respect.

Ultimately, the Astros had to do what was best for the team, and Verlander being on the postseason roster wouldn't have helped despite being eliminated anyway.

The veteran will hopefully bounce back and manage to stay on the mound in what could be his final season playing the game.