Does a reunion with the former ace make sense for the Detroit Tigers?

The Detroit Tigers are heading into the winter looking to take the next step forward and mount a shockingly good 2024 campaign.

Last season, the Tigers were able to surprise everyone after the MLB trade deadline. Despite the sales, Detroit was able to become one of the best teams in baseball in the second half of the year. Finally, the eliminations began Houston Astro from the postseason.

After a series against the Astros, the Tigers were defeated by Cleveland Rangers in an epic five-game series. Detroit leaned heavily on its bullpen in this series, but had a different starting pitcher to pair with Tarik Skubal would be perfect.

This offseason, while the Tigers will likely be looking for help for their lineup, they could also benefit from adding a starting pitcher or two. Considering money is being spent on adding a power hitter in the middle of the order, finding a reasonable veteran pitcher would be a great idea.

One player that could make a big difference for Detroit is a potential reunion with their former ace, Justin Verlander. The future Hall-of-Famer is one of the best pitchers of the last two decades, and even though he’s over 40 years old, he still has the desire to throw.

The Tigers turned the right-hander into one of the best pitchers in the game. Overall, he compiled a record of 183-114, a 3.49 ERA and won Rookie of the Year in 2006 and Cy Young and MVP in 2011.

The veteran currently has 262 wins, and with several World Series victories and individual accolades, Verlander may be looking to reach the elusive 300-win mark.

At 41 years old, it would likely take another three good seasons for a right-hander to reach that level, but as we’ve seen in other sports like Tom Brady and LeBron James, players are capable of performing at a high level late in the season of their career.

As a free agent, Verlander is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 campaign with the Astros because he was simply never able to start a game. This may very well be father time for him, but he’s been really solid in 2023 for both Houston and the team New York Mets.

For a Tigers team looking to take a step forward, a potential reunion with the former ace would not only be a good story, but he could help them win games if he stays healthy and pitches like he did in 2023.

Verlander likely won’t cost a ton of money after a poor season. He could be a solid low-risk, high-reward acquisition.