In November, I wrote a piece for this here website about free agent reunions I’d like to see: Players who were on the market and could theoretically return to a former team. There were six players on that list, but I’ll be honest: The one I wanted to see the most was Justin Verlander coming back to Detroit.
And now: It has happened.
Verlander signed a one-year, $13 million deal to head back to the team that drafted him second overall way back in 2004, and he was officially re-introduced as a Tiger on Thursday, eight days before his 43rd birthday. It is absolutely delightful in every way. Here are five really freaking cool things about Justin Verlander returning to Detroit to (potentially) finish his career.
It’s been 20 years since his arrival
OK, fine: Verlander actually made his MLB debut 21 years ago, in 2005, at the age of 22, on the Fourth of July no less (some of the batters he faced in that game: Grady Sizemore, Alex Cora, Travis Hafner and Coco Crisp). He made two Major League starts that year, losing them both. That’s why 2006 -- you know, 20 years ago, a nice, round number -- is the year that’s really considered his debut season.
And what a year it was. He won 17 games, he threw 186 innings (186 innings! As a rookie!), he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, he finished seventh in AL Cy Young Award voting (and 15th in the AL MVP race!) and, best of all, he helped pitch the Tigers to the World Series. Verlander actually got two starts in that series against the Cardinals, in Games 1 and 5, and lost them both.
But as someone who was in the stands for Game 5, let me tell you, it was obvious to everybody there that we were watching a future star … and that he’d end up leading the Tigers to a World Series win at some point. That didn’t happen -- he’d end up doing that for Houston instead -- but that he has another chance to do so 20 years later is chef’s-kiss perfect.
He fits what the Tigers need right now
The Tigers may have the best 1-2 rotation punch in baseball with Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez, but after those two, the rotation had been looking a little uncertain. Jack Flaherty has certainly had his moments, but last year was pretty rough, as he led the AL with 15 losses despite pitching for a team that made the playoffs. Casey Mize was good in 2025 -- did you remember that he made the All-Star team? -- but is not necessarily the most reliable pitcher from a health standpoint. Reese Olson is out for the season, and Jackson Jobe won’t be back until at least the second half.
The Tigers needed some bulk innings, of at least a league-average quality, and that’s exactly what Verlander provided for the Giants last year. And in the second half, he was even better than that; did you realize he had a 2.99 ERA after the All-Star break? Verlander doesn’t have to be a savior for the Tigers: He just needs to go out there every five days and give them a chance to win. He absolutely can do that.
And if the Tigers make the postseason again -- something, with all the pitching they’ve gotten over the last fortnight, they’re certainly favored to do -- Verlander has to be the Game 3 starter, no?
He’ll be pitching with another Tigers legend
Verlander has not pitched in Detroit since 2017, but he is still ninth all time in bWAR for the franchise, in between Hal Newhouser and Hank Greenberg. He is, obviously, a huge part of Tigers history. If you’ve gone to Comerica Park at any time in the last decade, you’ve seen, still, plenty of Verlander jerseys.
But of course, the jersey you see most these days is Skubal’s. There are five Tigers pitchers who have won a Cy Young Award, and two of them are now in the rotation. (Hey, Max Scherzer, another of the five, is still a free agent! Denny McLain, alas, is 81.) This is Tigers royalty in this rotation together; someday their jersey numbers may be retired next to each other.
And it’s not just cool that Verlander’s pitching with Skubal. No. 2 overall prospect Kevin McGonigle is surely going to make his debut in Detroit sometime this season, which means he will, at the age of 21, be teammates with Justin Verlander. That’s going to be an amazing factoid in 15 years: 10-time All-Star Kevin McGonigle has been around so long he played with Justin Verlander!
Detroit sports are having a moment
You don’t have to tell Detroit sports fans that things have, at times, been dark this century. The Tigers lost 114 games just seven years ago; the Lions had 10 losing seasons in a row, including one in which they didn’t win a single game; the Pistons had the longest losing streak in NBA history just two years ago.
But look at all these teams now. The Pistons have the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Lions have put together four winning seasons in a row and were this close to making their first Super Bowl two years ago. The Tigers have made the playoffs for two straight seasons and are clear favorites to win the AL Central this year. The Red Wings are about to end a 10-year playoff drought. Heck, both Michigan and Michigan State are in the top 10 in men’s basketball (and both women’s teams are primed to make the NCAA tournament).
These are peak days in Detroit sports. And now Justin Verlander is back!
Maybe it won’t even end up being his last year
Did you see up above, when I said, “Verlander returning to Detroit to finish his career?” Well that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, you know. He has said he wants to get to 300 wins, and he’s still 34 short. But if he pitches in 2026 like he did in 2025 -- 152 innings with a 3.85 ERA -- he’s going to get another contract offer for 2027 … and maybe could get a little bit closer to 300 (he did have 18 wins just three years ago, after all). Verlander has always looked like a pitcher who can go forever, and maybe he can. Maybe returning to the city where he dominated in his youth will help him turn back the clock.