Likely Justin Verlander Free Agency Price Tag Revealed

It's been less than a week since the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, but there's no time to rest as the MLB offseason is already underway. In particular, the Astros have a tough decision to make regarding ace Justin Verlander.

Verlander was recently named a finalist for the AL Cy Young award but has yet to make a decision on his $25 million player option for 2023. While he's still at the top of his game, he'll also turn 40 before Opening Day.

With that in mind, MLB insider Kiley McDaniel has revealed the expected price tag on Verlander's next contract.

Justin Verlander Contract

McDaniel projects Verlander to get a contract worth two years and $72 million, which works out to be $36 million per year.

Verlander returned to the diamond in 2022 after a two-year layoff due to Tommy John surgery and was easily the best pitcher in the American League. At 39, the former MVP dominated with an MLB-best 1.75 ERA and helped carry Houston to a championship.

McDaniel believes teams won't go beyond two years for Verlander given his age. While he proved age is just a number this year, pitchers are inherently risky investments at any age.

While getting more than $30 million in average annual value (AAV) is doable, McDaniel doesn't think Verlander will be "threatening the (Max) Scherzer AAV record" of $43.3 million from the New York Mets.

Bringing back Verlander would help the Astros contend for another title in 2023. Houston currently has the second-best World Series odds (+600) for next year on FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds.

Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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