Detroit Tigers sign Justin Verlander to 1-year, $13 million deal

Justin Verlander is returning to the city where it all started for him. 

The Detroit Tigers announced Tuesday that they signed the 42-year-old free agent to a one-year, $13 million deal. The deal calls for $11 million in deferred payments beginning in 2030. 

Considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Verlander made his Major League debut with the Tigers in July 2005 and was named the 2026 American League Rookie of the Year. 

Verlander led the Tigers to a pair of World Series appearances in 2006 and 2012 and four consecutive playoff appearances from 2011 to 2014. Verlander later won two World Series titles with the Houston Astros in 2017 and 2022. 

In his 20 Major League seasons, Verlander has pitched for the Tigers (2005-2017), the Astros (2017-22 and 2023-24), the New York Mets (2023) and the San Francisco Giants (2025) and posted a 266-158 record and a 3.32 ERA in 555 regular-season starts. 

A Triple Crown winner, Verlander is a nine-time AL All-Star, three-time AL Cy Young Award winner and the 2011 AL MVP. 

A Manakin Sabot, Virginia, native, Verlander was taken by the Tigers out of Old Dominion University with the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB Draft.