The deal includes a vesting option for a third year, a source told ESPN. Verlander, who turns 40 in February, returned from Tommy John surgery to lead the Houston Astros to their second World Series championship in 2022. He had the lowest ERA in the majors and was the unanimous winner of his third Cy Young Award — he became the first player to win the award after not having played the previous season.
1 Related He went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 28 starts last season and made his ninth All-Star team. Verlander won Game 5 in Philadelphia for the first World Series victory of his illustrious career, then became a free agent in November after opting out of the $25 million salary he would have earned in 2023. After losing two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in free agency, the Mets will now pair Verlander at the top of their rotation with Max Scherzer, who is also a three-time Cy Young winner. It will be Verlander’s first time playing a full season in the National League after a career with the Astros and Detroit Tigers, where he pitched for his first 13 seasons. The veteran made four starts against the NL East last season, not giving up a single earned run in 25 innings. For his career, he has a 2.14 ERA against the NL East, which is his best against any division, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Pitcher vs.NLERAIPJustin Verlander0.2832Shane McClanahan0.8233Michael Kopech0.8920 1/3Framber Valdez1.2129 2/3 Verlander made just one start in 2020 due to his elbow injury and missed the entire 2021 season while recovering from surgery. This season, he led the American League in wins and led the majors in both ERA and WHIP in front of a deep Astros pitching staff that helped secure a championship. His ERA was the best by a pitcher who made at least 25 starts in his age-39 season or older since streaks became official in 1913, and was the lowest by an AL pitcher in a full season — at any other age — since Pedro Martinez had a 1.74 ERA in 2000. Verlander went at least six innings in 22 of his 28 starts and amassed 175 innings during the regular season, striking out 185 batters and walking only 29. He also became the second non-rookie to make at least 15 starts and post a secondary. -2.00 ERA despite not pitching in the bigs last season, according to the ESPN Stats & Information survey. The Associated Press and ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.
