The official website predicts a surprisingly impressive free agent: 42-year-old Verlander’s stats are enviable.

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, whose $15 million one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants ended, was recently featured on MLB’s official website as a free agent likely to outperform expectations in the coming year. This seasoned 42-year-old pitcher is prominently included. The analysis indicates he remains capable of producing multiple strong seasons.

Verlander became the oldest pitcher in the National League this season, second only in the entire league to 45-year-old left-hander Rich Hill of the Kansas City Royals. He appeared in 29 games, pitching a total of 152 innings with a 4–11 record and a 3.85 ERA. Over his 20-year career, he has amassed 266 wins, ranking first among active players; Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw is second with 223 wins, Blue Jays’ Max Scherzer third with 221, while other active pitchers are still far from reaching 200 wins.

“Can Verlander, nearly 43, continue to defy age?” the site asks. Although his 2024 ERA of 5.48 and FIP of 4.78 once suggested his career might be ending, this season both metrics improved to 3.85, proving his performance is no fluke. Based on this, he may well sustain several more quality seasons.

In the last eight MLB seasons, only Rich Hill and Rangers’ Bartolo Colon have pitched at age 45, and among position players, only Mariners’ Ichiro Suzuki has done so. The website emphasizes that any player nearing 45 inevitably faces decline, yet Verlander consistently defies the norm—winning the Cy Young at age 39 in 2022, maintaining a current fastball velocity of 93.9 mph (about 151 km/h), and boasting an impressive 20.7% strikeout rate. His Hall of Fame credentials are unquestioned.

The official site concludes that while Verlander’s era of dominance may be behind him, he can still handle over 150 innings pitched, matching the average workload of a major league starter, which is highly valuable for most teams. Given his age, a one-year contract would be an ideal fit for many clubs.