SAN DIEGO -- Future Hall-of-Famer and reigning American League Cy Young winner Justin Verlander is headed to the Big Apple.
Verlander has agreed to two-year, $86 million deal with the New York Mets, according to SNY and other sources. There is also a vesting option for a third year in 2025.
The deal will reunite Verlander with former Detroit Tigers teammate Max Scherzer.
Verlander, who turns 40 in February, and Scherzer, 38, will make a combined $86 million in 2023, an unprecedented investment in pitchers of that age.
Verlander’s annual salary will be exactly equal to Scherzer’s, according to The Athletic, meaning the two pitchers will be tied for highest annual average salary in MLB history.
But Verlander has proven that he is still at the top of his game, even after missing all of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was the unanimous Cy Young winner in 2022, the third time he’s won the award.
Verlander was drafted by Detroit with the No. 2 overall pick in 2004 and pitched for the Tigers from 2005-2017.
The Tigers traded Verlander to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline in 2017. Since then, he’s won two Cy Youngs and two World Series while going 61-19 with a 2.26 ERA in 102 starts.
Verlander is the second big-ticket free agent pitcher to go off the board this week.
Former Mets starter Jacob deGrom signed a five-year deal worth a guaranteed $185 million with the Texas Rangers. The departure of deGrom increased the Mets’ urgency to sign Verlander.
The Mets visit Comerica Park on May 2-4 in the only meeting of the year between the two clubs.