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The Los Angeles Angels are bringing in Noah Syndergaard on a one-year, $21 million deal. Will Justin Verlander be next?
MLB Network's Jon Heyman says Verlander could be an option once he declines his $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Houston Astros. The Angels are reportedly on the lookout for power arms on short-term deals, with Syndergaard certainly qualifying as that after his recent return from Tommy John surgery. Verlander is also coming off Tommy John surgery and would be a short-term option as a big arm.
Los Angeles is looking to bolster its roster around Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Despite Ohtani's MVP-caliber heroics in 2021, the Angels struggled to a 77-85 record. It certainly didn't help that Trout missed the majority of the season with his own injury problems.
Verlander last pitched for the Astros at the beginning of the 2020 season. He made just one start before seeing his season come to an end.
Before his injury, Verlander was still one of the very best pitchers in baseball. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2019 and finished second in the race in 2018.
Whether Verlander still has any gas left in the tank after Tommy John surgery remains to be seen. He'll be 39 years old when the 2022 season starts, and he has a lot of miles on that arm.
Still, it's probably a worthwhile gamble for the Angels to take a chance on Verlander for a year. If he and Syndergaard actually worked out, Los Angeles would have quite the rotation in place. We'll see if the Angeles make a big push for the two-time Cy Young winner.
