Let the rumor mill begin to turn.
In what has been a quiet offseason thus far in terms of rumors for the White Sox, this afternoon, Bob Nightengale dropped a report on a potential AL Central reunion for SP Justin Verlander – and it would be on the South Side.
Verlander, who will be 38 next season, is coming off of Tommy John Surgery that caused him to miss all of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He has had a Hall of Fame career to this point and was still a top-tier pitcher before his injury. From 2016-2019, the right-hander was 68-32 with a 2.87 ERA over 870.2 innings. His ERA+ of 152 over that time span suggests he still had plenty left in the tank, though the late-career Tommy John Surgery is clearly a reason for concern.
After losing Carlos Rodon to free agency, the White Sox currently sit with three solid starting pitchers for 2022 (Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease) and question marks in Dallas Keuchel and, to a lesser extent, Michael Kopech. The White Sox clearly have identified the rotation as a need and are willing to look near the top of the market to get the help they need.
The White Sox are not the only contender with an eye on Verlander. The Astros, Dodgers, Yankees, and Braves have all been connected to Verlander in recent rumors, meaning the White Sox will have plenty of competition for his services.
I know people have their hesitations on Verlander, but if the Astros and Dodgers are in on him, it’s probably pretty smart that the White Sox are too.
Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.
Featured Photo: Houston Astros (@astros) / Twitter
