For a stretch during the 2023 season, veteran starter Justin Verlander began to show his age. Fresh off signing a huge contract with the New York Mets this past offseason, Verlander didn't exactly pitch to his usual elite standards. Even then, the Houston Astros, Verlander's home from 2017 to 2022, knows what the 40-year old is capable of, trading for him hours before the MLB trade deadline passed.

Now back with the Astros, Verlander hasn't yet found the same groove that led to his stellar 2022 season. He has allowed five runs in 13 innings pitched thus far, striking out 11 during that span. Those are not bad numbers, but it's evident that the veteran starter is in decline.

Be that as it may, Justin Verlander believes that he has a lot left in the tank, and that playing for the Astros once again has breathed new life into his long, Hall-of-Fame career.

“There’s a lot of hard things off the field that you know you have to get situated (once traded). But on the baseball side of things, yes. Stepping in with a bunch of guys who I know and love and have competed with and won with, of course it’s invigorating,” Verlander said, per Dan Connolly of Sportsnaut.

With this renewed lease in life, Justin Verlander may have hinted about prolonging his career for as long as he could, as he believes that it would be the best thing he can do for his family and his daughter.

“I’ve carried myself this far. I’ve worked my a*s off. I’ve committed my life to this game and this sport. And I find myself here with I don’t know how much time left. What a disservice it would be to myself, and what a bad example it would be to my family and my daughter particularly, to not carry this thing as long as I can,” Verlander added.

Given how elite Justin Verlander has been in the past, a decline would mean that he's still among the best middle of the rotation starters in the league. Verlander clearly still has the ability to help the Astros in their quest to defend their World Series crown, and it looks like he won't be done having that ability anytime soon.