Max, JV could have enough in the tank

Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander started pitching together in Detroit, back in 2010. They were together on the Tigers for five seasons. Scherzer posted a 82-35 record in that span. Verlander, 87-46. Each won a Cy Young Award. Verlander was traded to the Astros, with whom he won the World Series in 2017. Two years later, Scherzer lifted the trophy with the Nationals.

Scherzer would win two more Cy Young Awards with the Nationals, doing so in consecutive years in 2016 and 2017. Verlander also won another one with the Astros in 2019, beating his own teammate Gerrit Cole. Because they both won the World Series after leaving Detroit, the second chapter in their careers was arguably even better than the first, until Verlander was injured. And that is a lot to say.

Scherzer is now 37 years old, in the midst of a new stint through free agency. Verlander is 38 and on the free market too, after recovering from Tommy John surgery in September 2020. But, in a way, the two are once again two big names, who will receive a lot of interest in him. campaign break. A lot has happened since those days when they were both at the top of a Detroit rotation that was stronger than any we’ve seen.

There was even a period when David Price, who had already won his own Cy Young with the Rays, and Rick Porcello, who later also won recognition with the Red Sox, were all part of the same rotation. However, those Tigers were never able to win a ring.

Scherzer is a free agent after being traded to the Dodgers at the last trade deadline. The Astros extended Verlander’s $ 18.4 million qualifying offer to him, but he has until Wednesday to accept or reject it. When Verlander had an exhibition last week at Florida, it was reported that he threw fastballs that hit 97 mph – there were scouts from up to 20 teams watching, including the Astros, who have made it clear they want to get the mound back.

“We’ve been watching it closely,” Astros general manager James Click said. “He’s been very kind to tell us when he’s going to pitch so we can go see him and see how he’s progressing. The videos that I have seen are incredible ”.

Verlander is thought to prefer going to free agency, as is Scherzer, who is seen in the free market for the second time in his career. Both are still here, deep in careers that will eventually lead to the Hall of Fame. They are still well priced. There is even the possibility of both ending up in Southern California, if Scherzer decides to return to the Dodgers, and the Angels – who are desperate for pitching – entering the bid for Verlander.

Verlander and Scherzer. Scherzer and Verlander. They are no longer in the same rotation, but they are in the same conversation this offseason. Funny how things turn out in baseball. When Verlander was with the Astros and Scherzer with the Nationals, they shared the Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Well away from Comerica Park.

You could talk in the Nationals cave with Scherzer and then go see Verlander on the other side, on the Astros field. There was a morning in February 2020, a few weeks before COVID-19 forced camps to be canceled, when Scherzer sat in front of his locker and talked about Game 7 of the 2019 World Series and how he fought that night without have their best repertoire, waiting for the comeback of the Nationals, which eventually came, so that the club will raise its first championship in the history of the franchise.

“I was confident that we would win,” Scherzer confessed. “I was not nervous. I was too excited for the moment. I was confident that we would win and that I had to do my job that night. That meant leaving everything on the field. “

All of that after their time together in Detroit. Scherzer started that Game 7, one night after Justin Verlander took to the mound for Game 6 for the Astros, who were up in the series 3-2. Verlander pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out three. But the Nationals were successful in the end. The following night, Scherzer completed five innings, scoring two lines with seven hits and striking out three opponents. Again, his team emerged victorious.

Verlander and Scherzer. Scherzer and Verlander. In some ways, the success they achieved together at Comerica Park has continued to haunt them. Thirty seasons in the majors between them. One will turn 39 in 2022. The other, 38. However, they are still the stellar boys of those years in Detroit.