Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander was already a pitcher garnering notable attention in MLB free agency, but now, with another American League Cy Young Award in the trophy case, the 39-year-old may be one of the most sought-after players on the market.

The 2022 season was always going to be a big year in the career of Justin Verlander. He returned to action after missing all of 2021 following Tommy John surgery and needed to prove that he was still an impact player on the perennial contender Astros squad.

However, as the season progressed, those goals shifted. Verlander went from a player trying to prove he still has it, to a well-aged ace trying to bring a second championship to Houston. While also building his value for a possible jump into free agency in the offseason.

MLB
Justin Verlander Wins American League Cy Young Award

Well, the Detroit Tigers great helped the organization achieve the ultimate goal and then exercised his contractual right to test his value as an MLB free agent this winter. Justin Verlander was already a talent that had the attention of several teams, however, being awarded the AL Cy Young award put a stamp on his place as one of the best pitchers in the game right now.

That is why he will be getting a lot of offers from franchises around the league hoping that he is the missing piece to their championship hopes. Let’s take a look at five teams with the best chances of landing the three-time Cy Young award winner.

 

New York Mets

The New York Mets showed in 2022 that they have the talent to be a legitimate title contender. However, homegrown ace Jacob deGrom is also on the market and there is some doubt the team will be able to re-sign him. Since they already have a pitcher on the staff making a ridiculous sum of money in Max Scherzer.

On Monday, SNY reported that the Mets have an interest in Verlander as a possible replacement option for deGrom. While the Astros pitcher is older than the New York ace, he would likely come at a far more affordable rate, while offering a player of a similar talent level.

 

New York Yankees

Many around the league have speculated the Yankees could target Verlander this winter. The team certainly could improve its starting staff for 2023, and the idea of reuniting the same duo that helped the Astros win the World Series in 2017 — Verlander and Gerrit Cole — has to be intriguing to them.