Astros reunion chatter is sure to grow as MLB execs hint at Justin Verlander's plans

If MLB execs are already floating the idea that Justin Verlander might wait and sign in-season, you can basically hear Houston Astros fans clearing their throats to start the reunion discourse. Because if there’s one team that will always make sense as the landing spot for a legendary arm looking for one more meaningful October, it’s Houston. 

Mark Feinsand’s piece lays out the industry vibe pretty plainly: teams still believe Verlander has something left, but expecting a 43-year-old to hold up for a full season is where the optimism gets wobbly. Executives frame the ideal scenario as a reduced workload, a smarter ramp-up, and a midseason arrival when the postseason picture is clearer.

Astros may have a tempting Justin Verlander angle that only works later and that’s the point

Signing Verlander wouldn’t be about chasing peak Verlander. It would be about raising the floor during the season’s most fragile stretch. That’s exactly what execs are hinting at: a late-April/May ramp that turns into something like 70 solid veteran innings (or more if the body cooperates).

The Astros have literally done this movie before. Feinsand points out the Roger Clemens precedent — Clemens signing midseason with Houston in 2006 (and doing a similar late add the following year with the Yankees). It’s unusual, but it’s not fantasy. 

And if you’re trying to sell yourself on why it works in Houston specifically, it’s the “value beyond the stat line” argument execs keep repeating. Verlander’s usefulness is also in the way his presence changes the room — standards, routines, and preparation. Execs straight-up mention that kind of rotation-wide impact as part of the appeal. 

Houston already has real-world reasons to stay open-minded on pitching depth. And the reunion chatter will continue to grow, because the logic is sitting right there. If Verlander’s plan truly is to wait for the right team, the Astros are always going to feel like the cleanest answer… even if nobody wants to admit it until May.