Justin Verlander’s injury gives Houston Astros ‘creative’ offseason options

Last season, as is often the case, the Houston Astros were able to add players to their roster at the trade deadline in order to have a shot at defending their World Series title.

After seeing Justin Verlander leave for the New York Mets over the winter, they decided to bring back their ace to join them in their quest to repeat as champions.

Unfortunately, the Astros fell one game short of winning the ALCS, but they did manage to get the future Hall of Famer back for the 2024 season.

With him in the mix, Houston was the favorite to emerge from the American League this year, but based on his salary, that gave management few options to add pieces if they wanted to stay under the luxury tax as was originally planned.

Ultimately, owner Jim Crane gave general manager Dana Brown the green light to hand Josh Hader the most expensive contract for a closer in major league history, and they crossed that first threshold.

But there was one interesting thing about Verlander’s contract that the Astros inherited when they traded him in 2023.

If the superstar were to exceed 140 innings this season, his $35 million vesting option for 2025 would then be fully guaranteed. The Mets are expected to pay half of that as part of the trade deal according to SNY’s Danny Abriano, so Houston wouldn’t have been on the hook for the entire amount.

Still, $17.5 million for a 42-year-old pitcher who has struggled with injuries the past few seasons isn’t something the Astros would ideally have wanted to pay.

With Verlander looking increasingly unlikely to reach the 140-inning mark, having pitched just 57 so far this year, Houston won’t have to shell out that much money.

Michael Shapiro of Chron.com believes this will allow Brown and his staff to pursue further improvements on this list.

“But the veteran’s injury, while unfortunate for the club in 2024, could be crucial for future flexibility in 2025… This is a roster with holes in the rotation and at first base. With Verlander’s guarantee off the books, Houston’s management could get creative this winter,” he wrote.

What this might mean for them is unknown at this time.

That amount probably won’t put them among the favorites to keep Alex Bregman from leaving in free agency, but it could allow them to get additional starting pitchers to act as stopgaps while Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy recover from Tommy John surgeries. They could also use it to bolster their bullpen or even work out extensions with Kyle Tucker or Framber Valdez.

What we do know is that if Verlander doesn’t reach 140 innings this year, the Astros will have plenty of options this upcoming offseason.