Verlander has pitched in one game in the last two seasons because of Tommy John surgery, and he’s not exactly a known quantity as a 39-year-old coming off a lengthy rehab process.
Freddie Freeman, first baseman and warrior-poet of the world champion Atlanta Braves, is a free agent.
That would likely extend well into his decline phase, but that’s how these things go for current superstars on the free agent market — you get big production at the front end and pay for it on the back end.
As part of any kind of such shift, trading away center fielder Byron Buxton, who’s going into his walk year in 2022, could be appealing to the team.
“Chairman Jim Pohlad, according to major-league sources, is reluctant to move Buxton, knowing such a decision potentially would upset a fan base tired of seeing the team part with homegrown stars.
The upside remains real and tantalizing for the soon to be 28-year-old, but his inability to stay healthy is just as undeniable.