(Houston) Justin Verlander put his signature to the bottom of a one-year, $ 25 million contract with the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.
Verlander’s deal comes with a $ 25million conditional option that he could avail himself of after the 2022 season.
Verlander became a free agent after receiving a total of $ 66 million in his last two seasons with the Astros. He only played one game during that time, after injuring his elbow in the opener of the 2020 season.
Verlander underwent Tommy John-type surgery in October 2020 and he mentioned earlier this year that his recovery was going well.
The 38-year-old right-hander has won the Cy-Young Trophy twice and was named the American’s MVP in 2011.
Verlander spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Astros in August 2017. That year he helped his new team win the World Series.