Verlander hopes training reset pays ‘big dividends’
SAN FRANCISCO — For the first time in nearly two decades as a major league pitcher, Justin Verlander didn’t take an offseason break from throwing.
He needed to keep a baseball in his hand so his shoulder would cooperate. He needed the routine to maintain a rhythm.
“I’ve always been somebody who, I set down the ball, I don’t pick it up again for a few months and then I’ve always been very lucky that I just pick it up and start throwing,” Verlander said Monday. “Well, at 41, that caught up with me. So that was an adjustment that I’ve made that I feel is paying big dividends already.”
The star right-hander finalized a one-year, $15 million contract with the San Francisco Giants last weekend, and he’s determined to show he can still pitch at the highest level after a forgettable, injury-plagued 2024 season.
New president of baseball operations Buster Posey and the Giants believe Verlander can still bring it and are counting on him to help them contend again in the talented National League West.
The three-time American League Cy Young Award winner said he’s “miles ahead” of where he was last year at this time and he’s trying not to overdo it ahead of spring training, which begins next month.
Verlander went 5-6 with a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts for the AL West champion Houston Astros last year. He opened the season on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation. He also was on the IL from June 18 to Aug. 21 because of neck discomfort.
“Last year was difficult,” he said. “It was worst-case scenario for me. You could never get in a groove, pitched about as bad as I felt like I could. Positives were, I was able to learn a lot. You can’t play this game for very long if you don’t learn from injuries.”
Verlander will receive a full no-trade provision and a hotel suite on road trips.
He would earn $200,000 for winning his second MVP award, $150,000 for finishing second in the voting and $50,000 for third — and would get the same bonuses for Cy Young Award voting.
In addition, Verlander’s deal calls for him to make $100,000 for an All-Star selection, $150,000 for World Series MVP and $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP.
Verlander clearly remembers the electric atmosphere in San Francisco during the 2012 World Series, when the Giants swept his Detroit Tigers.
That included Posey on the other side — and now the retired star catcher did the recruiting of the veteran pitcher.
And the Giants aren’t adding him just to be a mentor or an example for their young pitchers but rather a top-tier starter to complement Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.
“Justin’s track record speaks for itself,” Posey said. “I was lucky enough to get to compete against him for a number of years and have always admired the way that he takes care of himself. When we started having the conversation a couple of weeks ago, it was very evident just how motivated he is, and you don’t get to the level of greatness that he’s accomplished in his career without having just the utmost fortitude and desire to be the best.”
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Mike Moustakas will retire with Kansas City after spending 13 years in the majors and winning the World Series with the Royals in 2015.
The Royals announced Moustakas’ retirement Monday. The 36-year-old infielder will sign a one-day contract with his first big league team on May 31, and he will be honored before Kansas City’s home game against Detroit that day.
Moustakas hit .247 with 215 homers and 683 RBIs in 1,427 games, also playing for Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Colorado and the Los Angeles Angels. The three-time All-Star appeared in his last major league game with the Angels on Sept. 30, 2023.
Moustakas was the No. 2 pick in the 2007 amateur draft. He broke into the majors with Kansas City in 2011.
He became a key performer for the Royals during a memorable stretch for the franchise. He hit .284 with 22 homers and 82 RBIs in 147 games in 2015, helping the team win the AL Central. Then he drove in eight runs in the postseason as the Royals won the World Series for the first time since 1985.
Moustakas bashed a career-high 38 homers for Kansas City in 2017. He set a career best with 95 RBIs while playing for the Royals and Brewers in 2018.
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