Houston Astros Had Conversation With Agent of Their Free Agent Star Pitcher

The Houston Astros have begun having conversations with the agent of their star free agent pitcher, potentially signaling he will be back.

Jun 3, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) reacts after a pitch during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Minute Maid Park / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros know their top priority is re-signing Alex Bregman after he hit the open market as a free agent.

This is something that their future Hall of Fame player Jose Altuve has implored ownership and the front office to get done, and according to a report, they have now made their star third baseman an offer.

What comes of that will be seen.

The Astros have never given out a contract longer than six years to a free agent, and while that might change for someone like Bregman, the total amount of money is also something that could cause the elite infielder to depart.

Everything Houston can get done this winter hinges on what Bregman decides to do.

If he doesn't return to the Astros, then that frees up some money for this front office to make improvements elsewhere.

One of those areas could be the pitching staff.

While, on paper, Houston has a full starting rotation based on the emergence of Ronel Blanco and Spencer Arrighetti, they also don't know how Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. are going to perform coming back from their extended absences because of injury.

Knowing that, they could be looking for additional options to bring into the mix, and according to comments made by their general manager on the "Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney" podcast, they have been in communication with the agent of Justin Verlander.

"We've had conversations with his agent just to feel him out. I don't know if there's been a lot of progress, but we're having conversations," Dana Brown said.

It was largely expected at the beginning of the offseason that Verlander and the Astros would go their separate ways based on the number of starting pitchers they have on the roster and the fact that the 41-year-old is coming off the worst performance he's had as a Major Leaguer with a 5.48 ERA.

But, if the two sides can come to a reasonable deal in terms of money, bringing him back wouldn't be a bad decision.

At the very least he would provide a depth arm, someone who can become a factor if other starters get injured or perform poorly.

Verlander is an interesting name for other teams around the league, though.

He would bring his championship pedigree and great mentorship to any clubhouse in Major League Baseball, so for those organizations looking to add more than just starting pitching ability this offseason, he would fit that bill.

This is something to keep an eye on going forward.

The two sides have had a great partnership during his roughly seven years with the club, so getting him back could be something they are both interested in doing.