The New York Mets are signing Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal also includes a third-year vesting option.
Verlander, 39, will headline the New York rotation alongside his former Detroit Tigers teammate Max Scherzer. Scherzer will pitch next season in his age 39 season while Verlander will be 40.
The 2022 American League Cy Young Award winner went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA in his fourth and final season with the Houston Astros. In starts against the Phillies in the postseason, Verlander allowed six earned runs over 10 innings.
Before Verlander’s World Series Game 5 start in Phialdelphia, he had not appeared in a game at Citizens Bank Park since 2007. Even though the Mets will only play four series against the Phillies as opposed to six next season as part of the new balanced schedule, the Phillies will presumably see a lot more of Verlander than they have in the first 17 years of his Hall of Fame career.
After losing out on Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers, the Mets were expected to pivot and target one of the top starters in the market in Verlander or Carlos Rodón. The Mets rotation is certainly star-studded, but it’s quite risky to expect 350-400 innings out of both Verlander and Scherzer.
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