The Houston Astros are coming off their second World Series win in four years.
Justin Verlander just won his third American League Cy Young Award, his second as a member of the Astros.
Yet, the 39-year-old right-handed pitcher likely won’t be back in Houston next year.
When speaking to the media, Verlander had this to say about his future with the team, according to Danielle Lerner:
“I’m not a negative person so I don’t want to sit here and say I won’t be back, because it’s been a wonderful ride. I don’t know what’s going to happen…I’m just going to be in a situation where the market will dictate itself.”
In other words, the Astros’ offer is nowhere near Verlander’s estimated market value, which is projected to be around $44 million per year, according to Spotrac.
Translation: The #Astros offer isn't even close to $44M per year. https://t.co/SicDNLLjxR
— Spotrac (@spotrac) November 17, 2022
Verlander Declines Player Option To Become Free Agent
Last week, Verlander declined his player option for the 2023 season, which was due to pay him $25 million, to become a free agent.
Not only was Verlander back to his dominant self but the Astros’ starter turned into one of the feel-good stories of the baseball season.
Verlander returned from Tommy John surgery to post one of the best overall seasons of his MLB career, going 18-4 with a sparkling 1.75 ERA, which was the lowest mark by an AL pitcher since Pedro Martinez (1.74) in 2000.
He also led the AL in wins, ERA, WHIP (0.83), opponents’ OPS (.497), opponents’ batting average (.186), and hits per nine innings (5.97).
As a result, Verlander won the AL Cy Young unanimously, earning all 30 first-place votes
With the Cy Young victory, he became the first pitcher to win the award after not pitching in the previous season.
Despite his resurgence, it appears the Astros aren’t ready to offer him a long-term deal, meaning he could be pitching in a new uniform next year.
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