It has been whispered that the New York Yankees wanted Justin Verlander badly this offseason, but the Houston Astros outbid them to retain the starting pitcher’s services. Now we know just what it took for the Astros to keep Verlander out of New York and in their rotation.
Here is how the Houston Astros outbid the New York Yankees for starting pitcher Justin Verlander
According to a tweet from MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the New York Yankees offered the 38-year-old Verlander a one-year, $25 million contract to join them for the 2022 campaign. The Houston Astros, however, extended the right-hander a two-year deal worth $50 million that included an opt-out after the 2022 season.
While the Yankees and Astros each had the same average annual value (AAV), having the extra year and opt-out clause was enough to keep Verlander in the Lone Star State for what will be his fifth season in a Houston uniform.
Verlander rejected Houston’s qualifying offer (one year, $18.4 million) and was rewarded for his decision with two teams each upping that number significantly to have him pitch for them in 2022. Both teams, however, are taking a calculated gamble on what Verlander can bring to the mound this season. After winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2019 with an eye-popping line that included a 2.58 ERA (3.27 FIP) and an MLB-leading 0.803 WHIP (thanks in part to an MLB-low 5.5 hits per nine innings), Verlander made just one start in 2020 before suffering an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, costing him the 2021 campaign.
Both the Yankees and Astros are rated as favorites above the Atlanta Braves to win the 2022 World Series. Both franchises are plowing through the offseason in “win-now” modes, and both are looking to ensure their rotations are as strong as possible. With that in mind, the bidding war for Verlander, even with the question marks about his potential for the upcoming season attached to him, makes sense.
Verlander will stay in Houston after the Astros outbid the Yankees to keep him. That could be a bitter pill for Yankees fans to swallow in a rivalry between the two franchises that only seems to grow in intensity.