In 2006, the Detroit Tigers unveiled a new tagline to run at the end of commercials. It asked a simple question: Who’s your Tiger?
For the better part of the last decade, the answer was Justin Verlander. In his rookie season — the year the ad first aired — the pitcher helped lead the team to its first playoff appearance in 19 years, and its first World Series in 22. He was a revelation. A lanky fireballer from central Virginia with enviable control who managed to throw harder in the ninth inning than he did in the first. At 23, he was the starting pitcher in Game 1 of the World Series. At 24, he was an All-Star. At 28, he was the American League MVP.
After two appearances in the Fall Classic, three more trips to the ALCS, and a pair of no-hitters, Verlander’s days in Michigan appear to be numbered. In 13 years with the franchise, Verlander won 178 games, struck out more than 2,300 batters, earned that MVP, and won a Cy Young and narrowly missed out on two others. For years, the Tigers were buyers at the trade deadline, allowing teams to ravage their farm system in return for a veteran bat or an ace to shore up the rotation. Now, they’re sellers. J.D. Martinez is already gone, Alex Avila and Justin Wilson have heard their names in rumors, and contenders like the Dodgers, Brewers, and Astros are interested in Verlander’s arm, or what’s left of it.
This will be tough for most Tigers fans to process. Verlander was a bright spot in the city’s recent history. Two years into Verlander’s career, the 2008 Great Recession crippled Detroit’s auto industry. Thousands lost their jobs as the backbone of the state’s economy buckled under the weight of financial ruin. By one estimate, the unemployment rate in the city topped 17 percent. Five summers later, Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
As the city considered selling off the collection at the Detroit Institute of Art to settle its debts, Verlander and the Tigers became one of the best teams of the era. From 2009 to 2014, they never finished below .500 and made four trips to the playoffs. Verlander made the All-Star team in every season but one during that span, and he finished among the top-10 AL pitchers in bWAR four times — twice besting all other competitors.
Verlander and the Tigers were a buoying force for Detroit. As the economy worsened and attendance across all sports dropped, people devoted themselves to the team more than ever. The team lowered ticket prices, and often gave more away. Some local souvenir vendors even saw sales for Tigers gear rise.
When he first signed a six-year, $162 million extension in 2013, Verlander seemed destined to retire as a Tiger. He was the face of the franchise, and a leader in the clubhouse, and a champion for returning local war veterans. But things changed, and his body started to betray him. In 2011, Verlander was the best player in the American League. In 2014, his ERA was closer to 5 than it was to 3.
The first time he slumped hard, in 2008, recording half the WAR he did the year before and registering an ERA+ of 92, he responded the next year by leading the majors in strikeouts. After two subpar seasons in 2014 and ’15, as detractors circled like buzzards, saying he’d never be the same pitcher he once was, he put together one of the best seasons of his career, finishing second in Cy Young voting.
This time, though, it’s hard to see a comeback. At least not in Detroit. Verlander’s average velocity on his pitches has improved every year since a dip in 2014, but opponents are still faring better against him. Batters are whiffing at a lower percentage of his off-speed pitches this season than ever before, while whiffs on his heater are well below his career average. While he’s not the ace he once was, he’s still good enough to help a contender take the next step.
The trade deadline is drawing closer, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before he’ll be moved. After years of big spending, the Tigers started selling pieces for prospects two years ago. Flipping Verlander to bolster the farm system would signal a full rebuild. Whenever the call comes — if it does — it’ll mean this chapter of Detroit baseball is ending. His selection in the 2004 draft was the sole benefit of the team’s finish the year before — when they notched the second-most losses in baseball history. He’ll leave Detroit an MVP, a pennant winner, and a likely Hall of Famer. And the city won’t forget that.
“These fans have been nothing but stellar to me my entire career,” Verlander told The Detroit News this week. “And hopefully they can say the same about me.”