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Justin Verlander is officially a Hall of Fame compiler

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Let’s make one thing clear: once Justin Verlander retires, he’s an automatic first ballot Hall-of-Famer five years later.

The numbers and accolades make his case beyond reproach. Nine All-Star selections. Three AL Cy Young Awards won with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. Now, add an MVP trophy in Detroit and two World Series rings in Houston. Plus, his 262 wins are the most among active players, and his 3,416 strikeouts rank 10th in MLB history.

In a nutshell, the man has nothing more to prove as he approaches what will be his age-42 season. And yet, Justin Verlander is returning to the mound in 2025. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Tuesday night that the big righty is signing a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants. Additionally, Jesse Rogers reported the deal is for $15 million.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js And now, it is with a heavy art that I must make the following declaration: Justin Verlander is a compiler.

Again, the man is a surefire first ballot Hall-of-Famer. He’ll get his plaque in Cooperstown and well deserve it because Verlander is just that much of a phenom. How many other pitchers have missed a year with Tommy John surgery, come back in their age-39 season, and win a third Cy Young with a sub-2 ERA? Overachievement or not, it was enough for Verlander to land a lucrative two-year deal with the New York Mets, who then shipped him back to Houston at the trade deadline.

And in the final year of that deal, Justin Verlander had the worst season of his career since posting a 7.15 ERA in a two-game cup of coffee in 2005. Injuries limited him to 90.1 innings in 2024, and he posted a 5.48 ERA with a 4.78 FIP in 17 starts. He did not pitch in the postseason.

But that’s not stopping Verlander from returning for his 20th season, this time in San Francisco. No longer the ace, he’ll slot in as a veteran behind Logan Webb with Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks handling the back end. It also helps that Oracle Park favors pitchers, unlike Minute Maid Park and her infamous Crawford Boxes.

We don’t need to litigate the money. Verlander is getting overpaid, even on a one-year deal, but such is the market. The greater problem is that this has happened before, when another future Hall-of-Fame pitcher passed through San Francisco in hopes of squeezing every last inning out of his arm.

That Hall-of-Fame pitcher is none other than Steve Carlton, the original big Lefty himself. He signed with the Giants as a 41-year-old free agent in July 1986 after being released by the Phillies, with whom Carlton had won a World Series and four NL Cy Youngs. He returned for the ’86 season following an injury-cursed ’85, and promptly turned in an awful 6.18 ERA in 16 starts before Philadelphia released him.

Carlton lasted six starts in San Francisco and even notched his 4,000th strikeout with them, but was released in August with a 5.10 ERA. He finished 1986 with the White Sox, and then stumbled through the next season-plus with Cleveland and Minnesota before being released for the final time in April 1988.

Granted, Steve Carlton still made the Hall of Fame on numbers alone. But imagine if he’d walked away after 1985, 80 strikeouts short of 4,000 for his career. Instead, he kept up his race with Nolan Ryan for being the all-time strikeout leader until he literally couldn’t anymore. He finished with 4,136 for his career, but at what cost?

Steve Carlton, great a player as he was, devolved into being a compiler.

Justin Verlander has gone down this very same route in signing with the Giants, who aren’t expected to competitively contend for the NL West in 2025. He had the worst season of his career, dealt with shoulder and neck injuries all along the way, and truly looked old for the first time in his career. Why come back at all when his ticket to Cooperstown was punched years ago?

There can be only one answer: Justin Verlander still thinks he can do it, and padding the stats along the way is just an extra bonus.

Ladies and gentlemen, may we present: A compiler.

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