In recent years, Justin Verlander has emphatically shut down rumors that he was retiring. As of March 2026, he is still active at 43. He is back with his old team, the Detroit Tigers, after a stint with the San Francisco Giants.
Nevertheless, Verlander knows that his time is coming. He already has a plan for his post-retirement years, per Foul Territory. More than anything, Verlander is looking forward to no prep time for a start. Plus, he added that his biggest wish is “to not miss playing”.
Justin Verlander will not miss the prep time that goes into a start once he decides to retire.
He adds that the goal when he retires is "to not miss playing." pic.twitter.com/xqb4KkNhSL
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 16, 2026
Overall, Verlander has pitched for 21 MLB seasons beginning in 2005. He would go on to pitch for the Tigers from 2005 to 2017. Afterwards, Verlander was traded to the Detroit Tigers from 2017 to 2022 and then again from 2023 to 2024.
During that stretch, Verlander would go on to win two World Series titles in 2017 and 2022. In 2023, Verlander pitched for the New York Mets, and in 2025, he pitched for the Giants.
Over the course of his career, Verlander won three NL Cy Young Awards in 2011, 2019, and 2022. In 2011, he also won the American League MVP Award. Plus, Verlander became a nine-time MLB All-Star from 2007, 2009 to 2013, 2018, 2019, and 2022.
Along the way, Verlander threw three no-hitters in his career in 2007, 2011, and 2019. In September 2019, Verlander recorded his 3,000th career strikeout in the 4th inning against the Los Angeles Angels. A game in which the Astros went on to win 6-3.
Currently, the Tigers are in the midst of Spring Training. On March 12, Verlander pitched 3.1 innings against the New York Yankees. He came away with five strikeouts and two walks in a 4-3 loss.
