Justin Verlander returns to the Detroit Tigers on a $13 million, 1-year contract

By Canadian Press on February 10, 2026.

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — For his 21st season in the majors, Justin Verlander is going back to the very beginning of his career.

All the way back to Motown.

Verlander returned to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, agreeing to a $13 million, one-year contract with his first big league team. The three-time AL Cy Young Award winner joins an improved rotation fronted by Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez, who also signed with Detroit in free agency.

Verlander, who turns 43 on Feb. 20, went 183-114 with a 3.49 ERA while spending his first 13 seasons in Detroit. He won his first Cy Young Award and was AL MVP when he had a 24-5 record and a 2.40 ERA in 2011.

Verlander was traded to Houston in August 2017 and helped the Astros win the World Series that year and again in 2022. Now he gets an opportunity to chase a third championship with the Tigers, who are looking for the franchise’s first title since 1984.

Verlander’s deal with Detroit includes $11 million in deferred payments starting in 2030. The Tigers’ pitchers and catchers are scheduled to have their first spring training workout on Wednesday.

The right-hander is 266-158 with a 3.32 ERA in 555 starts, also pitching for the New York Mets and San Francisco. He is tied with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th in wins on baseball’s career list, while his 3,553 career strikeouts are eighth and just behind Don Sutton’s 3,574.

Verlander is coming off a frustrating year with the Giants, going 4-11 with a 3.85 ERA in 29 starts. But his 2.60 ERA from July 23 through the remainder of the season ranked fourth in the National League with a minimum of 60 innings pitched.

Verlander returned June 18 after being sidelined for a month by a strained right pectoral muscle. He wants to keep pitching after a disappointing season in which he began 0-8 and was winless in his initial 16 outings before a win at Atlanta on July 23.

“First half, quite difficult. Happy I was able to find some mechanical fixes to kind of get back in the right direction and pitch well in the second half,” Verlander said following his final outing on Sept. 27. “I think obviously you’d always rather it go well, but it’s nice to be able to turn it around, especially after a few months it gets really draining and it’s tiresome. You’ve just got to come in every day and have a positive mindset and keep working hard.”

Verlander signed a $15 million, one-year contract with San Francisco last January and had a forgettable home debut for the Giants, who often struggled to provide him with enough run support.

The second-half turnaround mattered to Verlander, who limited opponents to a .228 batting average over his final 13 appearances. He allowed two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his last 13 starts.

Detroit also finalized a $115 million, three-year contract with Valdez on Tuesday after the sides agreed to terms last week. The left-hander spent the past eight seasons with the Houston Astros.

Valdez can opt out following the 2027 season, and the deal includes a mutual option for 2029 at $40 million with a $5 million buyout. He gets salaries of $17.5 million this year, $37.5 million in 2027 and $35 million in 2028.

The two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion will receive a $20 million signing bonus, entirely deferred, with payments beginning in 2030. His salary each year from 2027-29 can increase by $2 million for winning a Cy Young Award, $1 million for finishing second and $500,000 for coming in third, provided he doesn’t end the season on the injured list. It also could escalate by $2 million for winning World Series MVP and $1 million for winning ALCS MVP.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Associated Press

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