Justin Verlander wants to bring it back for another year.
The 41-year-old Astros pitcher had a rough season in 2024 as he battled multiple injuries and struggled even after returning in August.
Verlander anyway told reporters on Wednesday. After the Astros were eliminated by the Tigers in the wild-card round, there's still some fuel left in the tank.
“I think pitching-wise I feel like I can do a lot more,” Verlander said. “It's been a tough year. I've learned a lot from it.”
Verlander, who was traded from the Mets to the Astros last year, will be a free agent this offseason.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner had a $35 million player option for next year, but it didn't vest because he didn't pitch the required 140 innings in 2024.
He first suffered a shoulder injury that delayed the start of the season, then returned to the IL in June with discomfort in his neck.
“I've been talking to you guys about how I'm feeling about coming back and if I need to move this thing forward a little bit. It's kind of a weird neck injury,” he told reporters this week. spoke. “I tried my best to go out there in October and be a guy that could help this team, but I wasn’t able to do that.”
Verlander started 17 games this season, posting a 5-6 record with a 5.48 ERA.
Things really began to unravel after he returned from his neck injury in late August. After giving up 30 runs in 33 1/3 innings in 10 starts, Houston removed him from the postseason roster.
“Obviously, I didn't pitch well enough to be in this series,” Verlander said. “But I certainly feel like I want to keep pitching and playing games because I was able to get things moving in the right direction in the offseason. And I'm not ready to walk away from that yet.”
The Astros defeated the Tigers 2-0, and the Tigers are currently playing the Guardians in the ALDS.
