Ex-Mets Starter Justin Verlander Signs With NL West Team

Verlander, who spent half of the 2023 in Queens, is going west.

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. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

This former New York Mets ace has a new home.

41-year-old righty Justin Verlander, a future Hall of Fame pitcher, has signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, with a physical still pending. ESPN insider Jeff Passan was the first to report the signing.

BREAKING: Right-hander Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a one-year contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. The future Hall of Famer, who turns 42 next month, will spend his 20th season with the Giants.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 7, 2025

Verlander, who is set to play his 20th major league season, was the recipient of a record-setting contract from Mets owner Steve Cohen during the 2022-23 offseason. On December 7, 2022, New York signed Verlander, who was coming off his third Cy Young Award winning-season, to a two-year, $86.7 million deal with a $35 million vesting option for 2025; the $43.3 million average annual value (AAV) of his contract tied the then-record for highest AAV with fellow Met Max Scherzer (Shohei Ohtani currently holds the record with a $70 million AAV, while current Met Juan Soto holds the record for non-deferred deals with a $51 million AAV).

However, Verlander would last less than half a season in Queens. He began the 2023 season on the injured list with a low-grade teres major strain before being activated on May 4, and was ultimately traded to the Houston Astros (with whom he spent the previous five and a half seasons) at the August 1 trade deadline. The righty ultimately finished his Mets tenure with a 3.15 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 3.80 FIP in 16 starts and 94.1 innings pitched; he also struck out 81 batters while walking 31.

Despite his brief time with New York, Verlander still achieved two major milestones in a Mets uniform. On May 4, the then-40-year-old became just the 21st pitcher in baseball history to record a win against all 30 major league teams, with the Cincinnati Reds being the final team marked off his checklist. On July 30, just two days before being traded, Verlander became the 49th pitcher in league history to win 250 games, doing so by pitching 5.1 innings of one-run ball against the Washington Nationals.

Due to the Mets' monumentally disappointing 2023 season, Verlander was placed on the trade market due to his short-term deal and remaining pedigree; despite the massive AAV on his contract, Cohen's significant wealth allowed him to swallow most of the remaining money with ease, which in turn would allow New York to land better prospects in return. In the deal that sent Verlander back to the Astros, the Mets would pay $35 million of the $58 million remaining on his contract across 2023 and 2024, while acquiring highly touted outfield prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.

Due to his failure to pitch 140 or more innings in 2024 (pitching only 90.1 innings), New York will not have to pay his 2025 vesting option, which would have been reduced from $35 million to $17.5 million. In sharp contrast, Gilbert and Clifford rank third and fourth, respectively, on the Mets' Top 30 Prospect rankings on MLB.com.