Justin Verlander could be a free-agent fit with Astros

HOUSTON — Should the Astros try to bring back veteran right-hander Justin Verlander this offseason?

Considering the Astros†need for starting pitching depth, signing Verlander for a third stint in Houston makes sense for a lot of reasons. At the top of the list is that the Astros might not be in position to sign any of the big names on the pitching free-agent market, given the expected contract lengths and financial commitment it would take.

Verlander, who will turn 43 on Feb. 20, made 29 starts for the Giants last season and threw 152 innings. He was 4-11 with a 3.85 ERA after San Francisco, which signed him to a one-year, $15 million deal in January, struggled to provide him with consistent run support. Heâ€s 34 wins shy of reaching 300, which is a mark he has said heâ€d like to achieve.

“I think if I can go out and make 29, 30-plus starts and give our team a chance to win for a few more years, then itâ€s possible,†Verlander said following his final start of 2025. “Iâ€m not going to say itâ€s not. Itâ€s definitely harder, though. If you make 29 starts, youâ€d like to win 10, 15 games. It wasnâ€t in the cards this year. But maybe this year wasnâ€t meant to be for wins.

“Maybe this year was meant to be kind of for health and kind of re-finding myself and getting used to taking the ball every five, six days and just kind of going out there and being able to log some innings. Maybe that will carry me where I need to go.â€

Verlander went 0-7 with a 4.70 ERA in 15 starts in the first half for San Francisco and missed two weeks with a right pectoral strain, but he got back on track after the All-Star break, going 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA over his final 14 starts. He delivered his best work down the stretch, logging a 1.96 ERA over his last seven outings.

The Astros are expected to lose lefty Framber Valdez in free agency after he pitched a team-high 192 innings last season. Houston general manager Dana Brown is hoping healthy seasons from Spencer Arrighetti (35 1/3 innings in 2025) and Cristian Javier (37 innings) can help cover some of those innings behind ace Hunter Brown, but thereâ€s need for some arms beyond that.

“Weâ€ll try to go for the cream of the crop, but it doesnâ€t always work,†Brown said earlier this week at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.

Javier made eight starts in his return from Tommy John surgery and posted a 4.62 ERA, and Arrighetti missed a bulk of the season because of a fractured right thumb. He returned Aug. 6 and went 0-4 with a 5.26 ERA in five starts before right elbow inflammation ended his season.

“Right now, we didnâ€t sign Framber, and weâ€ve got to fill those innings,†Brown said. “Weâ€ve got Hunter Brown at the top, and we feel good about Javier and his emergence last year coming off the injury. He was up to 96 [mph], so we feel good about him coming to Spring Training. Arrighetti is having a very productive offseason, so we feel good about him. … We do need to create a little more depth and solidify the back half of the rotation.â€

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