Verlander recalls Posey’s ‘refreshing’ recruiting experience originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Buster Posey and Justin Verlander will one day be together in Cooperstown, but with Posey spending his entire career with the Giants and Verlander spending almost his entire career in the American League, the two haven’t had many battles . the land. They have only faced each other three times in the regular season during Posey’s career, plus two matchups in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series.
Both were at-time MLB All-Stars at the same time, but until Posey called out Verlander a few weeks ago, there wasn’t much familiarity. Verlander quickly realized, however, that he was very intrigued by the possibility of pitching a team that Posey now leads.
“Honestly, it’s a little weird, but at the same time, I’m at that point in my career where I’m starting to deal with a lot of people who I’ve played against or who are younger than me, so I’m I’m getting used to it,” Verlander said during a Zoom call Monday morning. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely used to it, but honestly, talking to someone like Buster with his experience was pretty refreshing in a game that’s now full of a lot of analysts. I think it was really something for for me it was a good draw just to talk with someone who has been on the field, who has competed and who understands, but who also understands the analytics, right?
“It was very clear that he understood both sides of the coin. By having these conversations, it made me very comfortable talking with him, and hopefully vice versa. It wasn’t awkward. Lots of thoughts were crossing my mind that I haven’t told him yet about some experiences I’ve had in my career that weren’t so happy for me, but I obviously didn’t mind.”
Verlander passed his medical this weekend and officially signed a one-year contract, $15 million that will put him in San Francisco for his 20th MLB season. He was already in his third full season when the Giants drafted Posey in 2008, and Posey made sure Monday to note that Verlander was four years older than him.
As accomplished as Posey is, he just signed someone with an even bigger trophy case. Verlander is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and was so dominant in his prime that he also won the MVP award. He won two World Series rings in Houston and San Francisco, and will try to move closer to becoming the 25th player to join the 300-win club. Verlander, the active winning leader, is 38 years old as he approaches his 42nd birthday.
On Monday, Posey referenced that track record and made it clear he’s counting on Verlander to have a big 2025 season. The president of baseball operations said he’s seen stories about how Verlander can help young starters of the Giants, and he believes he will, but that’s not why he’s here.
“First and foremost, we all see this guy throwing at the top of the rotation and being very, very good, and he made that clear as well,” Posey said. “That’s our hope. I know it’s his hope and his expectations as well.”
The Giants are betting big on Verlander, who will likely be their only notable addition to the rotation after flirtations with Corbin Burnes, Roki Sasaki and other younger options. Verlander is also betting big on the Giants. No one wants to be fighting for fourth place after 20 years in their career, and if Verlander wants to reach 300 wins over the next few years – an accomplishment he subtly hinted at during his Zoom call – he will benefit greatly from the Giants. being more competitive in 2025 than they have been in the last two seasons.
This could all ultimately come down to health, and Verlander said everything is currently positive in that department. He made just 17 starts last season with the Houston Astros because of shoulder and neck issues, but said he learned from both and has already made the necessary adjustments. Verlander never pitched in the offseason until this year, a result of shoulder capsule discomfort last spring. He said he feels good physically and is already hitting around 92 mph in bullpen sessions.
This is again where Posey can perhaps lean on his own playing experience. He suffered injuries later in his career, but bounced back in 2021 to have one of the best offensive seasons of his career. At the end of that season, at the age of 34, Posey retired. Perhaps that’s why one of his first questions to Verlander was whether he still had the passion to do this at a high level.
“I think I gave him a very long answer, longer than I expected,” Verlander said. “The fire is still burning.”
That call itself surprised Verlander, and he admitted Monday that he wasn’t really thinking about the Giants when MLB free agency began. Posey changed that by expressing interest, and eventually the parties discovered they had common goals. On Monday, Verlander said he wouldn’t pitch yet if he “didn’t think I could be great.” Posey thinks there’s plenty left in the tank.
“When we started having the conversation a few weeks ago, it was obvious how motivated he was,” Posey said. “You don’t achieve the level of greatness that he accomplished in his career without having the utmost courage and desire to be the best. When I think of pitchers of this generation, to me, Justin is at the top for him to come to San Francisco and continue his career and build on (what is) his Hall of Fame resume already, it’s very exciting for us.”
