Justin Verlander is officially off the market. Moments ago, it was announced that Verlander is re-signing with the Houston Astros.
Verlander’s brother, Ben, was first to announce the deal. It was then reported by Mark Berman of Fox26 that Verlander’s one-year contract with the Astros is worth up to $25 million.
While the main takeaway here should be that Verlander is ready to run it back with the Astros, it appears the MLB world can’t get over the fact that he allowed his brother to break the news.
“Straight from the horse’s mouth,” David O’Brien of The Athletic said. “Or at least the horse’s brother’s mouth.”
Straight from the horse’s mouth. Or at least the horse’s brother’s mouth. https://t.co/nb4JWtSCcs
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 17, 2021
“Oh sure, I could start breaking stories about my brother if any of you cared about software sales,” Angels beat writer Jeff Fletcher said.
Oh sure, I could start breaking stories about my brother if any of you cared about software sales. https://t.co/KifXsGhPJQ
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) November 17, 2021
“How can we trust this report? Not like Ben knows him or something,” an MLB fan jokingly said.
How can we trust this report? Not like Ben knows him or something https://t.co/ilR3jUto58
— Jonny’s Lasagna ⚾️ (@JLasagna43) November 17, 2021
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman had a fairly simple reaction, writing “Good source here.”
Good source here https://t.co/iWu63KK2D7
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 17, 2021
It’s not very often that a player’s sibling announces where they’ll be heading next, but MLB fans are more than happy to make an exception here for the Verlander family.
The actual deal for Verlander is quite fair for both parties. After missing the entire 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery, it was highly unlikely he’d receive a long-term contract.
With this one-year contract, Verlander will get to rebuild his value while still making a significant amount of money. And if Verlander can return to his 2019 form, this contract will go down as a steal for the Astros.
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