Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly met free agent Justin Verlander.
Justin Verlander, one of the best pitchers in the game at the age of 39, finds himself in the free agent market and has some of the game’s richest teams after him.
According to John Heyman of the New York Post, the Los Angeles Dodgers are meeting Verlander today.
The fit is clear on the surface with both the player and the team eyeing a short-term, high-profile AAV deal.
Verlander is said to be priced similar to what Max Scherzer got from the Mets off last season. Scherzer, of course, signed for three years and $130 million, which is good for $43.3 million USD.
While Verlander is older than Scherzer has been on his journey through free agency, a deal on the field is in no way unrealistic.
Dodgers: What could a Justin Verlander deal look like?
The Dodgers have always been known as a club that prefers short-term deals. After all, the last contract the club awarded a starting pitcher longer than three years was Brandon McCarthy’s four-year contract that saw just 33 appearances.
Verlander, of course, is a much different animal than McCarthy was. In 28 starts this past season, “JV” went 18-4 with a scintillating 1.75 ERA and an equally impressive 2.49 FIP. His 220 ERA+ led the majors and easily won his third career Cy Young Award.
With Walker Buehler out for the majority (if not all) of the 2023 season thanks to Tommy John surgery and both Andrew Heaney and Tyler Anderson in the free agent market, suddenly there’s a hole in the Dodgers’ rotation that Verlander could nicely fill.
MLB Trade Rumors and expect Verlander will secure a three-year, $120 million contract with his next club. Two of the four MLBTR draftees re-signed him in Houston, one made it to Philadelphia and one had him go to the Dodgers.
MLBTR’s prediction is very close to what is expected industry-wide for its next decade. Given that he will be 40 years old on Opening Day, anything over a three-year deal is asking for trouble.
