Justin Verlander open to return to his former team?

Jul 19, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; American League pitcher Justin Verlander (35) of the Houston Astros and wife Kate Upton during the Red Carpet Show at L.A. Live. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

For a second straight season, Justin Verlander might be reuniting with a former team of his at the trade deadline.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that the Houston Astros righty Verlander would be a “prime candidate for trade” if the team decides to sell at the July deadline. Heyman further adds that Verlander, who has a full no-trade clause in his contract, might be “amenable” to a trade to the Detroit Tigers.

Now 41 years old, the three-time Cy Young winner Verlander famously began his career with the Tigers, spending 13 seasons there from 2005-17. He won one of his Cy Youngs in Detroit as well as his lone AL MVP award in 2011. Verlander also made six total All-Star teams as a Tiger and helped lead the team to AL pennant victories in 2006 and 2012.

This year with the Astros, Verlander is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA as he works his way back into form following a spring shoulder injury that cost him the first few weeks of the season. Houston as a team is not faring well though, sitting fourth in the AL West at an uncharacteristic 18-25.

With Verlander making a hair over $43 million this year in the final season of his contract, the argument will certainly be there for the Astros to trade him if they continue to sputter. As for the Tigers, they are in the AL Wild Card hunt at 21-22, have a bottom-ten payroll figure this season, are still managed by AJ Hinch (Verlander’s one-time manager on the Astros), and have kept some of Verlander’s old teammates around too. Those may all be strong selling points for Verlander to green-light a move back to his ex-club.